Past Exhibits

  • Cover Art for The Night Before Christmas, 1904

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

    December 4, 2018 to January 6, 2019

    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 Santa we know today.

  • Image of nurse from Photo Album of Clara Lawrence

    Honoring All Who Served

    November 5, 2018 to December 2, 2018

    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 life during wartime: the monotony of watch duty, letters to loved ones seeking a connection to life at home, and photographs of people met and places visited.

  • La Memoria (detail) by Roser Bru
    August 31, 2018

    Spanish-born, Chilean artist Roser Bru’s paintings tackle themes of political unrest, the history of art, and women in society.

  • Image of Women's Lacrosse players celebrating, 2008

    100 Years of Women's Athletics at William & Mary

    August 23, 2018

    Game Changers highlights the significant history of women’s athletics at William & Mary, celebrates its game-changing athletes, and anticipates its bright future.

  • May 11, 2017 to July 31, 2018

    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 initial desire to promote "healthful and recreative physical activities," which over time developed into the modern, collegiate athletics program William & Mary knows today.

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

    September 15, 2017 to 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 the first African Americans in residence at the university.

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

    August 31, 2017 to May 10, 2018

    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 effort to gain a greater understanding of the experiences of African Americans living on campus during these first fifty years.

  • The Mademoiselle Zare Papers

    March 22, 2018 to April 18, 2018

    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.

  • The People Behind W&M

    February 12, 2018 to March 11, 2018

    This year’s Charter Day marked the 325th anniversary of the founding of The College of William & Mary by William III and Mary II, the first and (to date) only joint-monarchs in British history. An exhibition in the lobby at Swem Library brings the focus to William and Mary – the people, not the university.

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

    June 21, 2017 to February 25, 2018

    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 topographical views as well as pictures of plants, animals, and people; that convey in words and images the languages, history, and mores of the places visited in the early modern period.