Last summer we held a small exhibition focused on the diplomas awarded by King’s College, as Columbia was known before the Revolutionary War. The tradition of handing out diplomas at Commencement was started by King’s College’s second president, Myles Cooper, in 1763. We had in our holdings examples from 1763 to 1774. So what happened […]
Tag: University Archives
The Baby Cup
In our current exhibition, Windows into the Past, we feature the Columbia College class photo albums from the 1850s to the 1890s. These volumes include photographs of the College president, faculty, staff and students as well as some campus views. But every so often, you will find a baby picture. Why are there babies in […]
On View | Windows into the Past: Columbia College Class Albums, 1856-1890
How do you capture your college memories? Columbians in the late 19th century took advantage of the new art of photography to collect their classmates’ images in keepsake volumes. A new exhibition in the RBML Chang Octagon showcases these photo albums and offers some insights into student life at Columbia before the move to Morningside […]
Now Available | Columbia School of Library Service records
We recently processed the Alumni Files, a large series in the Columbia School of Library Service records. Alumni here means former students who enrolled in a degree program (BS, MS, PhD), whether or not they completed their program, from 1926 to 1992. These files have often been requested by researchers so we are delighted to […]
Show Me Your Cards: Communicating In The Days Of Yore
Before texts, tweets, and swipes, there were calling cards, cartes de visite, and dance cards—the original social media of centuries past. Often dismissed as trivial, these small pieces of ephemera tell a big story: how we connected, flirted, and formed relationships before the digital age. Though fleeting in nature, they offer lasting insight into the […]