Orientation - 1947

Even as I write this post, Dartmouth's newest class, the '14s, have been arriving in Hanover to embark upon their freshman Outing Club trips and enjoy the great outdoors. Here we have a video from the Dartmouth archives chronicling orientation in 1947.



1947 was the first "normal" year at Dartmouth following World War II, and Dartmouth enrolled a record number of students that year.

As soon as the video starts, I was amazed to see the students stepping off the bus in jackets and ties, and the students were similarly dressed in the classroom. Nary a t-shirt to be seen throughout the whole film.

There are some nice shots of Main Street, including the now long-gone Campion's haberdashery, and the College Bookstore.

One "tradition" that I was amazed to see was that freshman, wearing their beanies, were required to help upperclassmen with their luggage at the beginning of the year. I can't imagine something like that happening today, but the thought of the unlucky '14s carrying my boxes around is not a bad one.

The video also shows a model for a performing arts center which would have stood where the Hopkins Center stands today. Designed along the lines of Webster Hall, personally I would have preferred it to the modernistic and ugly Hop.

The video ends with scenes from the famous Freshman trips, although the trips of yesteryear feature a lot more flannel and a lot less flair that those of today. However the point of the trips is the same; to introduce them to the wonderful countryside of New Hampshire and to welcome students to the best college in America

Aegis Ads from 1942

I recently bought a 1942 Aegis and I was amazed by its excellent condition and interesting photographs. (I plan to post some pictures in a future update.) I was especially amazed by the plethora of advertisments in the back of the year book, which ran the gamut from clothing stores to car garages.

Here are a series of the nicest advertisements in the Aegis.



F.R. Tripler was a New York based Haberdasher which folded in the early 1990s. I couldn't find out much else about the store on the Internet but apparently it was fairly stuffy.




Rogers Peet was another New York based Haberdasher that also closed in the 1980s. At one point, they had 12 stores in the New York area, but changing fashion doomed the firm.




Campion's of Hanover was the local haberdasher for Dartmouth College until it closed in the early 1990s. It was known for its Dartmouth specific ties, some of which can still be found on eBay. The current Campion's is a women's clothing shop.



This ad by J. Press specifically targets Dartmouth men, who it assumes will be soon part of the workforce, and thus buying J. Press. Of the four advertisers, only J. Press is still around, and it's target audience today is certainly not the college men. Personally, I'd be quite surprised if anyone on campus owns anything by J. Press.

Unfortunately, changing fashions doomed any men's clothing store that relied upon college students for survival. J. Press was able to adapt by targeting other markets, including Japan but most were not so lucky.

Tri-Kap Men

I found these photos, dating from the 1940s, in the archives of Tri-Kap. They were part of a senior's book, which would have been given as a memento at graduation. Because of the war, Dartmouth students graduated early, and thus men of all years are represented here.

This fellow wears a classic Dartmouth sweater. Unfortunately, these days it's more likely to see this paired with sweatpants rather than a pair of wool trousers and a white collared shirt. On the back of the Photo, it says that dog's name is Duke.



The pipe and wool sweater lend an air of nonchalance to this photo.



'Ol Fuzzy's sweater and wool pants combination is timeless and relaxed. I also like his Indian head cane, which you can still buy today.



Playing cards in a striped suit and repp tie? You'd be lucky to see an outfit like this at a formal.



T-shirt and blazer? Probably the most informal photo of the lot. Reminds me a little bit of Miami Vice.



One final look at all the Seniors together.