Founder's Day

Students in costume and blackface at the faculty-student baseball game
1300 plates
Founder's Day has included a variety of activities since the first celebration on April 29th,1866, Matthew Vassar's birthday. The images in this series document visits to the founder's grave, step-singing and the Song Contest, the faculty-student baseball game, parades, and various performances. Attendees of the baseball game, the parades, and the performances were encouraged to dress in costume, according to either a predetermined theme or individual whim. With some frequency, these costumes and performances were based on racist or stereotypical representations of marginalized groups, including blackface, redface, and yellowface. Similarly, the faculty play or skit show which was given on the evening of Founder's Day, included racist and stereotypical costumes and performances.
Content Warning
The Vassar College Archives within the Digital Library include some images, texts, and material items that are racist, xenophobic, or otherwise harmful. The Vassar Libraries have provided descriptive text and additional notes whenever possible to alert Digital Library users to these items. The Engaged Pluralism Initiative Race and Racism in Historical Collections Project Group is working with the library on contextualizing and facilitating community conversations about these materials. For more information see: https://library.vassar.edu/rrhc
Students in costume and blackface at the faculty-student baseball game
Class of 1925 mounting the steps of Student's Building for the song contest
Members of the Class of 1920 and others at the song contest
Class of 1927 at the song contest
Class of 1923 at song contest
Students in costume at the faculty-student baseball game
Class of 1926 at the song contest
Students in costume at the faculty-student baseball game
Class of 1923 performing in the song contest
Class of 1924 performing on the steps of Student's Building during the song contest
Class of 1920 performing in the song contest
Spectators at the faculty-student baseball game
Song contest
Students in costume at the "County Fair"
Class of 1924 at the song contest
Unidentified woman at the festivities after the Founder's Day parade
Students in costume at the faculty-student baseball game
Students in costume at the faculty-student baseball game
Students with horns and drums at the baseball game, costumed as clowns or possibly the pantomime character Pierrot
Class of 1920 marching to the song contest
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