Shown here is an image from the exhibit "‘Twas the Night: 1930s Selections from the Nancy H. Marshall A Visit from St. Nicholas Collection and the University Archives," on display in the third floor rotunda of Swem Library from December 9, 2011 through February 13, 2012.
The following is a transcription of the label text presented in this case:
Various editions of The Night Before Christmas feature interior scenes of homes prepared for the arrival of St. Nicholas with seasonal decorations.
Clement C. Moore
The Night Before Christmas
Newark, New Jersey: Charles E. Graham & Co., 1930
Clement C. Moore
A Visit from St. Nicholas, reprinted in Is Santa Claus an American?
Engraved by Boyd
New York, New York: Liberty Publishing Corp., 1933
Clement C. Moore
The Night Before Christmas (A Visit from St. Nicholas)
Illustrated by Clarence Biers
Chicago, Illinois: Rand McNally & Co., 1938
Clement C. Moore
The Night Before Christmas
Chicago, Illinois: Goldsmith, circa early 1930s
The Nancy H. Marshall A Visit from St. Nicholas Collection
"The fine arts department was asked to design and superintend the installation of these enormous parties to which the entire college was invited. The Christmas party was really terrific. It was in Phi Beta Kappa Hall. We took up all of the seats for dancing… The place was all lit by candles, and why in the world it didn’t burn down, I don’t know.”
Leslie Cheek, Jr.
Oral History Interview on May 11, 1976
Professor of Art and Architecture, 1935-1939
Head of the Department of Fine Arts, 1938-1939
University Archives Oral History Collection, UA 43
"[Preparation] involved first of all removing all of the seats on the main floor of the auditorium. They were individually taken up and individually replaced the first year. Thereafter, since it looked like we were going to have to do that every year for Mr. Bryan, the seats were bolted to boards (about two by ten boards), and they were brought into the auditorium in sections and replaced.”
J. Wilfred Lambert ‘27
Oral History Interview on January 8, 1975
Longtime W&M administrator
Retired as Vice President of Student Affairs, 1973
University Archives Oral History Collection, UA 43
Decorations in old PBK Hall, circa 1935 –1940
Led by Leslie Cheek, Jr., the Department of Fine Arts was charged with decorating for the president’s Christmas party each year. The event was held in the auditorium of old Phi Beta Kappa Hall, which was rebuilt after a 1953 fire and renamed Ewell Hall.
University Archives Photograph Collection, UA 8
Refreshments in the old PBK Hall lobby, 1937
Even staff members working at the event wore colonial inspired costumes to further the ambience.
John H. Garrett Photographs, UA 5.101
Refreshment table, circa 1935-1940
University Archives Photograph Collection, UA 8
Notice to Students, 1936
Theodore S. Cox, Chairman of the Committee on Special Events, prepared a notice outlining the policies and expectations for students at the campuswide costume party.
Christmas Activities Papers, UA 165
"There was a platform built which was, I suppose, about forty feet long and about six feet deep and eight or ten inches high. And then on top of that was a table, and in the middle of that long table was an enormous punch bowl, illuminated from below. Behind that punchbowl stood Ernest Cumber, who served the punch. He was about three or four feet above us when you added everything together, and he really rose to the occasion. This was a very important ceremony for Ernest, who on other occasions was the custodian and messenger in the administration office.”
J. Wilfred Lambert ‘27
Oral History Interview on January 8, 1975
Longtime W&M administrator
Retired as Vice President of Student Affairs, 1973
University Archives Oral History Collection, UA 43
From the Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library at the College of William and Mary. See swem.wm.edu/scrc/ for further information and assistance.
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