The Princeton Bric a Brac. 1924. This yearbook is 3.15 pounds. The class of '24 was 56years old in 1958. Some fathers of those Bryn Mawr girls below? I found this in a Phoenixville, PA book store in 1985. I have '26 and '27 as well.
The Nassau Literary Magazine Board of '22-'23. I don't think any of these guys struggled over their food budget.
Seniors in the Spring of '26 in their Beer Drinking suits. White duck canvas coveralls and jacket only worn in the Spring of their senior year. Later, only the jackets remained with a class styled decoration on the back. Had I known, I would have studied much harder in high school.
The Freshman,"Flour Picture." Doused in flour by Sophomores just before the picture was taken. Up until 1915, the freshmen were required to wear black sweaters, black cords and black shoes. The very uniform of one of my best friends in college. I wonder if he knew.
I think it safe to assume designers from J Crew and Polo have access to this yearbook. 
Only Juniors and Seniors were allowed to wear white flannel trousers.
Above- Adverts in the back. That's an amazing image for Jacob Reeds. How did Paul Stuart ever find it? I wonder if they paid for it? Lets face facts. These guys, a good 90% of them, were rich. And this school dictated fashion and style over all the other Ivy Leagues. Pure sartorial history. I cherish these books and am so glad there was something I saw in them back in '85. That I would pull these out of a box, blow the dust off them and post these images in a 2008 blog is about as crazy as our interest in them today.
And they smell so good. I love smelling books.
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19 comments:
Fabulous! ME
Try not to be verbose, ME.
Are those...Norfolks? Unreal. At one point in time, students at elite universities were paragons of style and class, the truest expression of American sartorial spirit. Now, less so. Much less so. There has been a change in the collective mindset of students, that somehow school is a informal setting, one worthy of your best sweatpants and sandals. (of course, students alone are not blame--even the most heady of professors has no excuse to dress like a bum) Where did this come from? How can we change it? Walking around my campus (Northeastern, small, private, liberal arts) one would think everyone, and I mean EV-ERY-ONE had rolled out of bed, maybe two minutes ago. At four in the afternoon. Though this is no doubt true for some, for the vast majority who simply "forgot" to put on clothes that morning--shows their lack of respect. Have some decorum, please. Sorry for ranting up and down your comments page, tintin, but seeing those photos painfully reminds one of what it used to be. As usual, great post. And you're right; old things are fun.
“and jacket only worn in the Spring of their senior year.” And named a beer jacket accordingly, I believe. Went along with the eating clubs. I believe I remember F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote that Princeton had a southern feel despite its mid-Atlantic location, because it was traditional for many southern gentry to send their sons their. Thanks for the great photos!
Oh I LOVE the beer drinking suits! That shot is wonderful - they look so elegant! And to consume beer...
TinTin,
We would all like to know what your college drinking wardrobe of choice was "back in the day". ME
checkmate-those are Norfolk jackets. And there's a ton of 'em throughout the book. My college was in FL and while I graduated in the mid80s, I can relate. Still, despite those who rarely showered, there were lots of khaki pants and ocbds. One friend from WI bought all the reject monogramed shirts at the Lands End outlet. Never knew whose initials he'd be wearing. I think he paid two bucks a shirt. Very Trad.
tim, Lots of southerners and midwestern types but all with one thing in common. Money and lots of it.
Alice- Love the guy in the middle with the pipe. Oddly, it looks like the pic was taken yesterday.
ME- I refrained from all alcoholic beverages, malted and fermented whilst pursuing my studies.
Great photos--I love old yearbooks!
My daughters have friends who go to Sewanee, and they have to wear skirts to class unless it's snowing (guys wear coat and tie) and later they get their robes to wear to class. Just like at St. Andrews.
I think my oldest would've liked it there, but it didn't have the two things that we required of a college we would pay for--a football team and National Panhellenic sororities with houses.
Oh well. I'm sure she'll forgive us someday.
Hysterical LOL!
The CORRECT answer is:
a red and white rugby shirt with the an embroidered "Caca Fuego", khaki knee-length shorts, braided belt and Sperry Top-Siders. Very yacht club. Always The Trad. ME
tin tin -great pix
are there any of the Prince triangle (jazz0 band aka the Equinox Orch?
max
like your site. i have some of those old j press booklets - did a freelance gig for them years ago and they gave them to me. nice to know others appreciate them too.
check out my blog - less trad/more illustration.
http://designerman-whatisawtoday.blogspot.com/
Hello Trad, I love the postings on the yearbooks. Are any of them signed? Becs
3button- No, not in this one. I have to check the others. Will post if I find 'em.
designerman- that's a great site. Beautiful illustrations.
becs- none are signed. In fact, in my 20 plus years of roaming the shelves of used book stores, the signed college yearbook is rare. Signed high school years books? That's another story. I'll be posting some from a main line private high school circa 1922 soon.
This post is fantastic!
thanks tin tin-equinox Orch or Princeton triangle (the shows) boasted a good jazz band and as I remember ,well worth a look at their clothes.
max
i can frame every page of this year book and put them on a wall!
Tim,
The southern tradition at Princeton is one of long standing. There were even a few years during the 1840s when a slim majority of students at the College of New Jersey came from slave-holding states.
In the unlikely event that you'd like more detail and are near Princeton, go to Seeley Mudd library and look at a senior thesis from 1984 called "Answering the Trumpet to Discord: Southerners at the College of New Jersey, 1820-1861."
--ScurvyOaks
ScurvyOaks- I'm just up the road a piece. I get down there so I will check it out. Thanks for the heads up. I know that Andre piece. You're a lucky man to have it. I've been meaning to check out the book Andre illustrated at the Chew House in Germantown. I hear it's in bad shape but what a piece of history. Thanks for your comments.
Tintin,
I've never seen the Chew House, although it's one I've wanted to get to. I did not know about the book illustrated by Andre. That's additional incentive to get there.
I am a lucky man to have the Andre mezzotint. I found it and a companion piece, "Lord Cornwallis surrendering his sword to Genl Washington at York Town," also published by Freeman in 1812. And they were dirt cheap, even by 1986 standards.
Thanks for your blog. It's really great stuff.
-ScurvyOaks
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