Special Collections Research Center

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Past Exhibits

Past Exhibits

  • A circle divided into four parts, each containing different historical lifestyle illustrations.

    Eat with the Seasons

    Selected Cookbooks from Swem Library's Special Collections

    On Display: July 18, 2017 - June 16, 2019

    Location: 3rd Floor Rotunda Gallery

    Broadly centered on the theme of seasonality, this exhibit draws on a collection of cookbooks and recipe books housed in Swem Library's Special Collections Research Center to explore what individuals…

  • Woman in a hat looking a mountain across a field of flowers.

    2019 Study Abroad Photo Contest

    On Display: April 17 - May 21, 2019

    Location: Botetourt Gallery

    Students who studied abroad in the 2017-2018 academic year submitted hundreds of photos from their international experiences from all over the world.

  • Banner featuring silhouette profiles and text "Scholarship on Display: AFRICANA STUDIES."

    Scholarship on Display: Africana Studies

    On Display: May 11, 2018 - April 14, 2019

    Location: Swem Entrance Gallery

    Joint-appointed in Anthropology, Economics, English, Dance, Theatre, and History, Africana Studies’ core faculty professors’ interdisciplinary scholarship covers a diverse array of topics.

  • Vintage photo of people posing on a thatched roof cart, with one man standing, others seated, in rural setting.

    “We Willed It Not”

    World War I in the Everyday

    On Display: March 16, 2018 - March 3, 2019

    Location: Special Collections Lobby

    The Great War, also known as World War I (WWI) — or the World War to those hopeful that it would be the only one — affected almost every continent and impacted millions of individuals.

  • Illustration of a diverse group of people with placards relating to unity and community.

    Building the Beloved Community

    The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

    On Display: January 10 - February 5, 2019

    Location: Swem Lobby Exhibit Case

    Community activists honor the ambition of the civil rights movement by engaging in volunteer service and joining in solidarity with marginalized peoples, continuing to make King’s dream a reality—at…

  • Vintage cover of "The Night Before Christmas" featuring Santa Claus with a sack of gifts.

    Twas the Night Before Christmas

    The Nancy H. Marshall "A Visit from St. Nicholas" Collection of Clement Clark Moore's Immortal Poem

    On Display: December 4, 2018 - January 6, 2019

    Location: Read & Relax

    Lively and fascinating, and a bit different from our modern conceptions, the illustrations in this exhibit highlight the figure’s transformation from a mischievous little imp to the jolly, bearded…

  • Vintage photo of a person in a light-colored, nurse's outfit sitting at a table.

    Veterans Day

    Honoring All Who Served

    On Display: November 5 - December 2, 2018

    Location: Swem Lobby Exhibit Case

    Veterans Day celebrates all those who served in the armed forces on November 11 each year. Accounts of their service on display describe not the combat bravery glorified in our society, but daily…

  • Illustration of a modern building with people and trees under a clear sky.

    William & Mary Athletics Facilities

    On Display: May 11, 2017 - July 31, 2018

    Location: Kaplan Arena

    This exhibit showcases William & Mary’s diverse athletic spaces and the use our athletes make of them. Selected photographs, artifacts, and publications from the University Archives illustrates this…

  • a bird with its head turned backward, looking at its tail

    Brave Enough to be First

    Exploring 50 Years of African American in Residence at William & Mary

    On Display: September 15, 2017 - June 30, 2018

    When Janet Brown, Lynn Briley, and Karen Ely first moved into their freshmen dorms in Jefferson Hall at William & Mary, they were unaware of the significance of their presence — the three women were…

  • Hand-drawn pie charts

    Living the Legacy

    Oral Histories Commemorating 50 years of African Americans in Residence at William & Mary

    On Display: August 31, 2017 - May 10, 2018

    Location: Swem Entrance Gallery

    As a part of the commemorative efforts, William & Mary’s oral historian, alongside Special Collections and the 50th Anniversary Committee, is recording the stories of alumni, faculty and staff in an…

  • Tomorrowscope, a daily astrological guide for the year, printed in red ink

    Mystical, Magical, Mysterious

    The Mademoiselle Zare Papers

    On Display: March 22 - April 18, 2018

    Location: Swem Lobby Exhibit Case

    The Mademoiselle Zare Papers give us a peek into the life of a woman who not only worked for herself, but made a living telling customers the secrets that could be uncovered in the palm of their hand.

  • Green outline of the Wren Building on a lighter green background

    Founders

    The People Behind W&M

    On Display: February 12 - March 11, 2018

    Location: Swem Lobby Exhibit Case

    This year’s Charter Day marked the 325th anniversary of the founding of William & Mary by William III and Mary II, the first and (to date) only joint-monarchs in British history. An exhibition in the…

  • Vintage illustration of a rhinoceros with patterned skin on textured paper.

    The World in a Book

    Travel for Curiosity, Adventure, and Profit in Early Modern Europe

    On Display: June 21, 2017 - February 25, 2018

    Location: Special Collections Lobby

    This exhibition shows only a sampling of the travel books in Swem Library’s Special Collections at William & Mary. The works on display describe the world in words but also with maps and…

  • Illustration of a gingerbread house with "Twas the Night Before Christmas" text on a night background.

    Twas the Night Before Christmas

    The Nancy H. Marshall "A Visit from St. Nicholas" Collection of Clement Clark Moore's Immortal Poem

    On Display: December 1, 2017 - January 2, 2018

    Location: Read & Relax

    Drawing inspiration from Moore’s words, “The children were nestled all snug in their beds, / While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads,” the focus of this year’s exhibit is the food culture…

  • Black Chinese character on a dark red background

    情趣与精神 / Sentiment and Spirit

    Expressions through Ink and Brush

    On Display: October 17 - December 22, 2017

    Location: Read & Relax

    This exhibit features student artwork from Chinese calligraphy courses taught at William & Mary in MLL's Chinese Studies Program.

  • A whimsical pattern featuring a cartoon owl, flowers, leaves, and abstract shapes in pastel colors.

    Between the Pages

    Found at Swem

    On Display: November 3 - 30, 2017

    Location: Swem Lobby Exhibit Case

    This collection features objects that our patrons left behind in library books or around the building. Many were not exactly lost but rather forgotten; others may have been more purposely left behind.

  • A close-up of a cream-colored dog with curly fur looking at the camera.

    Magical Creatures & the Staff Who Keep Them

    On Display: June 16 - September 17, 2017

    Location: Botetourt Gallery

    The verdict is in: We love our pets! Staff at Swem Library and affiliated organizations have submitted images and videos of their beloved pets. We hope you enjoy our companions as much as we do.

  • Two pugs wearing gold collars sitting in front of a Christmas tree.

    Pugs, People, and the Peter Chapin Collection

    On Display: December 22, 2016 - September 10, 2017

    Location: Marshall Gallery, 1st Floor Rotunda

    Special Collections highlights the contributions of pug-enthusiast donors to our collection of dog-related materials, which range from books and representations in popular culture to ephemera and…

  • Illustration of woman in a black dress with red shawl and white embroidered apron

    Fact & Fantasy

    Selected Costume History Books, 1804-1936

    On Display: June 20, 2016 - July 11, 2017

    Location: 3rd Floor Rotunda Gallery

    The costume history books represented in this exhibit were intended to give mostly French and English audiences a view—through the lens of costume—into the lives of peoples and places near and far,…

  • Four framed pictures with descriptive texts hanging on a brick wall.

    Hidden Virginia History

    The Connection Between the Buffalo Soldiers and the Philippines

    On Display: February 13 - May 15, 2017

    Location: Botetourt Gallery

    Between 1899 and 1902 the United States engaged in a war of imperialism in the Philippines. African-American soldiers were expected to "take up the white man's burden" during this war for a country…