Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

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Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA Official Archives of George Mason University. Sharing manuscripts, rare books, digital records, and so much more!

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04/23/2025

2025 is coming up this Friday, April 25. This will mark George Mason University's 60th Mason Day! Live music and community are but two of the highlights of Mason Day. Here is an unidentified band playing Mason Day 1978 in front of the now non-existent Robinson Hall (today replaced by Horizon Hall) to a crowd on the quadrangle between Robinson, SUB I, Krug, and Fenwick. This year's Mason Day will be in the EagleBank Arena South Parking lot and the headliner will be MAX. From the Broadside photograph collection, R0135.
George Mason University Alumni Association George Mason University Student Involvement Mason Libraries

04/21/2025

Continuing our Earth Month series, the Kjell B. Sandved collection (C0020) includes photos from his adventures around the world. From lions and tigers to creatures of the forest, these film photos come from as far away as Tanzania. Perhaps most notably, though, are his pictures of butterflies. In his “Butterfly Alphabet” book (C0020, Box 6), Sandved showcases an incredible discovery: that the patterns on a butterfly’s wings can include the English alphabet! Completing this alphabet took him around 25 years, and he even managed to find “one single example of the ampersand (&).” Impressive!

04/18/2025

In our latest blog we introduce a new series recapping some of our recent visits with our neighbor archives in the Northern Virginia-D.C. Metro area. Up first, we share highlights from our December 2024 visit to the Smithsonian Archives Center inside the National Museum of American History. Follow the link to learn more: https://vault217.gmu.edu/?p=11344

04/16/2025

Almost 49 years ago, George Mason University was a smaller regional institution with about 1/6 of today's total number of students, faculty and staff. The young upstart University in the Commonwealth, Mason's outward messaging sometimes used a whimsical approach, such as this Mick Jaggeresque newsboy on its newsletter, the "In House FLASH". From the recently reprocessed George Mason University publications, . George Mason University Alumni Association Mason Libraries

04/12/2025

Since 2008, has been a holiday aimed at celebrating independently owned record stores. Inspired by National Comic Book Day, the day is marked by artists making special appearances worldwide, holding fundraisers, and issuing special vinyl releases. While you go out into your area and support your local record stores, we wanted to highlight some of the records in our collection!

From the Alan Bowne papers (C0319), we have four 45 RPM vinyl records featuring music from the Poni-Tails, The Heartbeats, The Robins, and The Fiestas. All four of these groups were American R&B groups from the 1950s, with some of them specializing in doo-wop. Fun fact! Old Town Records contracted The Fiestas after the owner heard them singing in a bathroom adjacent to his office.

From the Jeffrey Chamberlain music collection (C0185), we have a four-piece 45 RPM vinyl collection featuring eight of Strauss’s most famous waltzes. On the next slide is the vinyl for “The Blue Danube,” Strauss’s most iconic waltz. Fun fact! Despite being composed in 1866, it is most famously known for being featured in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

04/11/2025

While the Northern Virginia weather has been busy deciding if it wants to officially commit to Spring, the SCRC processing team has been busy working on more new and updated finding aids! Our latest blog preview includes a Civil War era railroad pass, panoramic photographs, zines and small press publications, and more collections, all of which are now available for use in the Special Collections Research Center. Follow the link to learn more: https://vault217.gmu.edu/?p=11324

04/10/2025

Welcome back to 🎭! Today, we’re highlighting a Tale of two musicals...two Canterbury Tales to be specific. Geoffrey Chaucer’s late 14th century collection of 24 stories told by a group of pilgrims as they travel from London to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral is no stranger to artistic representation, and that includes two musical adaptations with very different experiences.

The first of these, an opera titled 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘪𝘭𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘴, was composed by Reginald De Koven and featured a libretto by Percy MacKaye loosely based on the Wife of Bath’s tale (which in this version includes Chaucer himself as the central love interest). However, it premiered at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House on March 8, 1917, amid growing tensions with Germany and less than a month before America’s official entry into World War I. As a result, the opera would be cancelled after just five performances.

In contrast, the 1964 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 musical, which was composed by John Hawkins and Richard Hill, featuring a more modern book and lyrics by Martin Starkie and Nevill Coghill, as well as more of Chaucer’s original characters and stories than the earlier opera, was much more successful. In March 1968, the musical premiered in its full form on London’s West End at the Phoenix Theatre where it would go on to play for a record-breaking 2,080 performances, not closing until March 1973.

📸𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘪𝘭𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘴: 𝘈𝘯 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘪𝘯 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘴 bound libretto and score, M1503.D346 C35 1916
📸𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴, Phoenix Theatre souvenir program, circa 1971, from Mary Lavigne programs collection, C0417.

04/09/2025

Nearly 46 years ago today, the George Mason University Childcare Center visited the quadrangle located between the former Robinson Hall, Fenwick Library, Krug Hall (then named South), and Student Union I (then called, simply, the Student Union - there was no Student Union II at that time) for some frisbee practice. The high temperature on April 11, 1979 was a sunny 69 degrees and, as evidenced in these photos, many of the participants decided to shed their coats so that they could put a little extra zip on the frisbee. From the Broadside photographs, . George Mason University Alumni Association Mason Libraries

04/07/2025

Happy Earth Month!

To kick off April, we’ll be posting some photos of our rare books. Charles Darwin’s “Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals” (QP 401 .D22 1896) is just one of many scientific works we have about nature. These illustrations depict his study of emotions in dogs, cats, birds, and monkeys. Most are “drawn from life” by multiple sketch-artists (not including Darwin) and have captions describing an animal’s feelings. “Cat in an affectionate frame of mind” and “chimpanzee disappointed and sulky” are a few of our favorites— what are yours?

04/02/2025

This week George Mason University celebrates its 44th annual International Week. I-Week celebrates the many backgrounds and cultures belonging to our diverse student body. One I-Week tradition is the Parade of Flags during which students gather together to carry the flag of their home country across campus. This photo is from the April 8, 1997 Parade, where students are aeembled on Wilkins Plaza. Note the no-longer-present Robinson Hall on the right, across the plaza from the Johnson Center. From Broadside photograph collection, . Mason Libraries George Mason University Alumni Association Mason International

03/28/2025

Time for one last post celebrating by spotlighting one of our collections that focuses on a woman and her life’s work! This week, we bring you Dr. Christine Drennon, who previously taught as an assistant professor of geography here at George Mason University. She is currently an associate professor of sociology and anthropology at Trinity College in San Antonio, Texas.

Dr. Drennon specializes in urban geography, specifically the urban fragmentation and social reproduction of race, class, ethnicity, and gender. The Christine Drennon European slide collection contains 106 glass lantern slides consisting of images and maps of pre-and post-war Europe.

Explore all the images on our digital collections repository, LUNA. From the Christine Drennon European lantern slide collection, C0068.

03/26/2025

The Women and Gender Studies Center in the Johnson Center is pictured here as it appeared on March 16, 1996. Established in 1989 as part of George Mason University's Women and Gender Studies Program, the center is staffed by faculty members of the program, Mason staff, and students and is a repository for research resources pertaining to the Women and Gender Studies program. Previously located in the former Robinson Hall, the center is one of the original occupants of the Johnson Center when it opened in the fall of 1995. From the Broadside student newspaper photograph collection . George Mason University Alumni Association Mason Libraries George Mason University Alumni Association

03/25/2025

Welcome to the Rare Book Corner!

Starting today, we’ll be bringing back posts about our rare books collection. One particularly unique topic that can be found in our stacks is the study of magic. This 1866 book titled “The Magician’s Own Book, or the Whole Art of Conjuring” provides instruction on parlor tricks like optical and chemical experiments, “card deceptions,” tricks with numbers, and puzzles. Illustrated with hundreds of woodcuts, it was mostly meant for stage entertainment. Magic during this time was defined by names such as Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, John Henry Anderson, and Herrmann the Great. Want to learn how Houdini got his start? You might just find the answer here!

From GV1547 .A75 1866

03/21/2025

We are back with another post celebrating by highlighting another one of our collections that focuses on a woman and her life’s work. This week we bring you Mary Elsie Fox (1923-1994)! Fox served as the executive secretary for a number of generals in the US Air Force and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew.

The Mary Elsie Fox photograph collection contains 423 photographs that document and depict the life of Fox and her close friends, Pentagon employees, and military members during the 1940s in Washington DC.

Transport yourself to 1940s Washington DC through these images and check out all of Fox’s photographs on our digital collections repository, LUNA!

From the Mary Elsie Fox photograph collection, C0067.

03/19/2025

In April 1985 George Mason University celebrated Women's Cultural History Week. Events included the film, The "Commonwealth of Women" shown in Student Union II (now called The HUB), A colloquium on women's suffrage led by Mason History Professor, Josephine Pacheco, and an exhibit by Mason Libraries. Here is a flier for the event found in George Mason University publications, . George Mason University Alumni Association

03/17/2025

Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh!☘️🇮🇪

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, so of course we had to celebrate with some W.B. Yeats (1865-1939). Born in Sandymount in County Dublin, Yeats would go on to become one of Ireland’s most famous poets, spanning both the Romantic and Modernist literary movements. While he spent much of his life living and working in London, England, Yeats always maintained a close relationship with his cultural roots, featuring Irish legends, folklore, locations, and contemporary events surrounding the Irish nationalist movement in much of his writing.

📸From PR5904 .G6 1912, PR5904 .C4 1902, & PR5900 .A3 1949b

03/13/2025

Welcome back to 🎭! March is , so for the next few weeks we will be spotlighting women theatre artists and productions focused on women’s experiences. Today we’re highlighting Dame Alicia Markova (1910-2004), a world-renowned British ballerina and one of only two English dancers to be credited as a 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘢. Markova began her professional career in 1925 with Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, which she joined only one month after her 14th birthday. Throughout her career Markova was a founder dancer of several companies in both Britain and the United States, including The Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Rambert Dance Company, and was co-founder and director of the English National Ballet. She retired from professional dancing in January 1963, the same year she was named a Dame of the British Empire, and worked as a teacher, director, and choreographer well into her 90s.

In the summer of 1941 she and fellow dancer Anton Dolin, along with over 20 dancers from the newly formed American Ballet Theatre, took up residence at Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, Massachusetts, running The School at Jacob’s Pillow and The International Dance Festival, which took place over 9 weeks from July – September. Markova danced a solo performance titled “Water Lily” during the festival’s final week, as seen in the first two photographs.

📸 Photographs by John Lindquist, from Jacob’s Pillow dance photograph collection, C0514.

03/12/2025

A Catholic University player runs into a tough George Mason Women's Basketball (in dark shirts and skirts) defense in a game on February 4, 1974. While Catholic won the game 19-13, George Mason University scored 11 of their 13 points in the second half. Over the past weekend our women's team won the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament with a 73-58 win over St. Josephs to clinch their first-ever A-10 Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Tournament. Go Patriots!!!!! From the Broadside newspaper photograph collection . Mason Libraries George Mason University Alumni Association George Mason Athletics March Madness Women's Basketball

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Fenwick Library MS 2FL, George Mason University
Fairfax, VA
22030

Telephone

+17039932220

Website

http://scrc.gmu.edu/

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