A collection of Union memorabilia to “inspire the curious and unlock distant memories” filled the Mandeville Gallery this summer and fall.
The exhibit, fittingly enough, was called UnionAnia!, and it included everything from commercially produced postcards, fine china, and silver spoons to homemade memorabilia like a ReUnion tie, the scrapbook keepsakes of baseball tickets, and a Senior Ball dance card.
Rachel Seligman, co-curator and gallery director, says, “The suffix -iana or -ana is typically used to refer to collections of objects or information about a given subject. But we called the exhibition UnionAnia! to reflect a particular passion we have for collecting this assortment of Union-related gems.”
Adds co-curator Ellen Fladger, who is also director of Special Collections, “Each of these pieces tells us something about the College, whether it be social customs, as evidenced in the dance cards and photos; dining habits, as shown in the menus; or important icons, as demonstrated by The Idol miniatures and Nott Memorial egg cup.”
For those who were not able to get to campus, we present a sampling of UnionAnia!
Dutchman mug, no date, ceramic, 5 1/2″ X 3 1/2″
Union's athletic teams began in the 1800s as the “Garnet” and became known as the “Dutchmen” in the twentieth century. The blond, pipe-smoking, smiling Dutchman with the pantaloons and the “U” on his shirt was invented by the Union College Bookstore and the Public Relations Office in the 1940s.
Photo: Band at a Hamilton vs. Union football game, 1912
Before 1912, Union didn't have a band, and music was provided at home games only if a city band were hired. In 1911, Charles T. Male '13 formed a Union College Band, which promptly demonstrated its value in February 1912 at a basketball game against NYU. Union won, 50 to 7, and the band quickly grew to twenty-four members.
Eggcup, c. 1906, wood, 4″ x 2″
Possibly the most unusual souvenir in the collection, this wooden eggcup is decorated with the most popular icon of Union and its most frequently reproduced image, the Nott Memorial. The image shows the completed clerestory of the building, dating it to after the Andrew Carnegie-funded renovations of 1904, which turned the structure into the college library. The eggcup, however, still refers to it as the “Round Building,” a label that endured through numerous official name changes.
First centennial celebration medal, 1895, metal, cloth, 4 1/2″ x 2″
Alumni traditionally returned to campus each spring for Alumni Day, held on or before Commencement. In 1895, to celebrate the first 100 years of Union, a seven-day series of festivities was held. Events included a banquet in the Nott Memorial for more than 500 guests, a centennial ball, and five conferences on subjects such as “Religion and Education” and “The College in Statesmanship and Politics.” John T. Mygatt '58 composed a “Union College Centennial March.” This pin was worn by a member of the Class of 1892.
Education and the Atom (pamphlet), 1957, 8″ x 6 1/4″
In a splendid example of postwar American optimism concerning the potential of the atom, the College hosted a five-day exposition in October 1957 titled “Education and the Atom.” Events included concerts, an art exhibition, a panel discussion on “The College and the Atom,” and exhibits such as “Atoms for Peace” and “Industry and the Atom.”
Souvenir Idol, undated, plaster and paint, 12″ x 5″ x3″
The “Idol,” a Chinese stone lioness dating from the fifteenth century, was a gift from the Rev. John Farnham, Class of 1856. The statue was unearthed in Shanghai and shipped to Union in 1875. Though dubbed The Idol by students, the 4,900-pound statue had no religious significance and was not worshipped by the Chinese. It soon became a symbol of the College and began to appear on postcards and other souvenirs, including plaster cast reproductions. In 1910, eight-inch-high plaster Idols were made and sold in Schenectady, and in 1936, the Binghamton Alumni Association commissioned one-and-a-half-inch ivory or metal Idols to be worn on alumni watch chains. The following year, the Binghamton club offered foot-high plaster casts, available in red, garnet, or imitation bronze. The plaster cast reveals that the lioness originally had a cub and a ball between her legs-parts of the stone statue that were removed by vandals in 1921.
Class of '90 Soiree Ticket, 1888, paper, 1 3/4″ x 4 1/4″ (Class of 1890)
The first Sophomore Soiree was held in 1887 at the Arcade Hall in downtown Schenectady. This ticket dates from the second annual soiree, which was probably also held off campus, as no facility at the College was suitable for a large dance.
Postcard: Internal view of the Nott Memorial Library, c. 1906, lithograph, 3 1/4″ x 5 1/4″ (gift of William Hahn, Jr.)
In the summer of 1903, the College Library was moved from Washburn Hall to the Nott Memorial, which had just been renovated with money given by Andrew Carnegie to make it habitable year round. Books were arranged on shelves on the first floor and the first balcony. The librarian at this time was Joseph Ransom Brown, who had been given charge of the library as a junior at Union and had graduated with full honors while having sole responsibility for the library. The library remained in the Nott until it was moved in 1961,to the newly-built Schaffer Library.
Lottery ticket (1812)
State-run lotteries were a common way to support American colleges in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. There were two state-authorized lotteries to benefit Union, with four annual drawings that began in 1809.
Union cap, Class of 1918, wool
The wearing of a freshman beanie, or “dink,” was a tradition begun in 1910 by sophomores who wanted to put freshmen in their place. Reflecting their inferior status, all freshmen were required to wear the cap in public (they also couldn't smoke pipes or cigars in public and couldn't sit in the front rows of theaters in town). The freshman rules continued to exist in various forms until the mid-1960s.