Special Collections Research Center

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Past Exhibits

Past Exhibits

  • Silhouette of a human head profile against a magenta curtain background.

    Open Minds

    An Exhibit of Psychology Department Faculty Publications

    On Display: March 26, 2012 - April 30, 2013

    Location: Bright Gallery, 2nd Floor Rotunda

    During the 1888-1889 academic year, William & Mary president Lyon G. Tyler taught the College’s first psychology course, which was then listed under the Department of Moral Science, Political Economy…

  • Old sepia sketch of a colonial building with handwritten notes on the top.

    "A Campus Greatly Scarred"

    The Wren Building Fire of 1862

    On Display: October 23, 2012 - April 17, 2013

    Location: Marshall Gallery, 1st Floor Rotunda

    This exhibit features letters, reports, and images relating to the 1862 fire in the Wren Building.

  • Illustration of a ship with sails above the word "EMBARCO," on turtle-shaped base.

    “The Enemy has disappeared from our Waters”

    The War of 1812 in Southeastern Virginia

    On Display: December 19, 2012 - April 14, 2013

    Location: Special Collections Lobby

    During the War of 1812, British soldiers carried out a series of raids throughout Southeastern Virginia from the relative safety of their ships. While their one foray onto land, the Battle of Craney…

  • Blue William & Mary logo on a light blue background

    Presidents of William & Mary

    On Display: October 22, 2012 - April 10, 2013

    Location: Flat case near the Brown Board Room and Library Administration, 3rd Floor

    This exhibit provides a history of William & Mary as seen through the eyes of its presidents.

  • Illustration of the Wren building with two three-story towers on one side

    Great Hall's Afire

    On Display: October 23, 2012 - February 26, 2013

    Location: Near Writing Resources Center and Tribe Tutor Zone on 1st Floor

    In the early hours of February 8, 1859, the Wren Building went up in flames after a fire began in the north wing.

  • Illustration of Santa Claus smiling, with a bookshelf background.

    A Visit from St. Nicholas

    On Display: December 6, 2012 - January 31, 2013

    Location: Swem Lobby

    This year’s exhibit features illustrated pages of fifteen different books, arranged so that together they feature the poem in its entirety—while at the same time showcasing the diversity of the…

  • Vintage portrait of a person wearing a dark outfit against a blue textured backdrop.

    "The Best of Care": Civil War Hospitals

    On Display: April 12, 2012 - January 11, 2013

    Location: Marshall Gallery, 1st Floor Rotunda

    At the beginning of the Civil War, there were very few hospitals around the country. Washington, the nation’s capital, had no military hospitals. Neither the Union nor the Confederacy was well…

  • Two stacked banners reading "NO on the 9th" and "Save Our Schools" against a lavender background.

    "The Virginia Way of Life Must Be Preserved"

    On Display: June 18, 2012 - January 11, 2013

    Location: Marshall Gallery, 1st Floor Rotunda

    This exhibit examines how Virginia responded to the Supreme Court’s momentous 1954 decision overturning “separate but equal” schools.

  • A faded, vintage letter with the address in cursive.

    We Are All In Great Distress'

    William & Mary Leading up to the Civil War

    On Display: October 19, 2011 - October 3, 2012

    Location: Marshall Gallery, 1st Floor Rotunda

    The years before the Civil War were not always stable ones for William & Mary. The university contended with changes in presidents, resignations and deaths of professors, an end to the chair of law,…

  • Blue William & Mary logo on a light blue background

    Presidents of William & Mary

    On Display: March 28 - October 2, 2012

    Location: Flat case near the Brown Board Room and Library Administration, 3rd Floor

    This exhibit is part of a continuing series about the presidents of William & Mary. It provides a history of the university as seen through the eyes of its presidents. This second installment spans…

  • Old paper with text announcing the First Annual Field Day for College of William & Mary on May 1st, 1895.

    Tribe Pride: William & Mary Athletics Media Guides

    On Display: September 9, 2011 - September 25, 2012

    Location: Kaplan Arena

    Tribe Pride: William & Mary Athletics Media Guides from Swem Library allows visitors to experience the history of intercollegiate sports at William & Mary through the athletics publications created…

  • Logo of the London Olympic Games with abstract shapes and Olympic rings on a light blue background.

    Friendly Competition

    On Display: July 18 - September 16, 2012

    Location: Read & Relax

    This exhibit features reproductions and artifacts from Special Collections, which attest to the both celebratory and competitive facets of the Summer Olympic Games.

  • Chinese calligraphy

    诗书画三绝 The Three Perfections

    On Display: April 12 - May 28, 2012

    Location: Read & Relax

    The combination of all three creative processes—poetry, painting, and calligraphy—is considered the ultimate in artistic achievement in Chinese art. Very rarely does a single artist have talent in…

  • Vintage photo of a group of children in patterned shirts.

    Virginia Council on Human Relations

    On Display: October 17, 2011 - May 18, 2012

    Location: Marshall Gallery, 1st Floor Rotunda

    The Virginia Council of Human Relations (VCHR) was a bi-racial organization that worked to foster communication and improve relations between blacks and whites. The exhibit highlights a few…

  • Vintage photo of a man and woman in 19th-century clothing sitting side by side.

    Of Plenty and Paucity: Civil War Medicines and Their Makers

    On Display: October 28, 2011 - April 9, 2012

    Location: Marshall Gallery, 1st Floor Rotunda

    At the beginning of the Civil War, medicine was at a crossroads. Researchers were only beginning to recognize the role of microorganisms in causing disease and the importance of antiseptic conditions…

  • Illustration of an individual in a wide-brimmed hat fishing at night.

    Alternative Voices

    On Display: December 6, 2011 - April 6, 2012

    Location: Read & Relax

    The diversity of the William & Mary community finds expression in a variety of student campus publications.

  • Blue William & Mary logo on a light blue background.

    Presidents of William & Mary

    On Display: October 13, 2011 - March 27, 2012

    Location: Flat case near the Brown Board Room and Library Administration, 3rd Floor

    This exhibit is part of a continuing series about the presidents of William & Mary. It provides a history of the university as seen through the eyes of its presidents. The first exhibit spans the…