Dances and Recreation Files, 1881-[ongoing]
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Smith College Archives Northampton, MA
Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Laura Cutter. 2003-06-10
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Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
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Dances and Recreation Files
Smith College.
Biographical History for: Dances and Recreation Files
Historical Note The tradition of dances and recreation at Smith is longstanding. From social gatherings, teas, and parties in the 1880s and 1890s, to the hosting of "Supper Dance" Weekend from the 1920s through the 1940s, to the present day traditions of Friday Teas, Winter Weekend, Spring Weekend and Rugby Prom, Smith has seen its fair share of parties. While much of the information regarding the gatherings cannot be found in the folders, many of the photographs tell their own stories. There is a plethora of information about the Supper Dance. Preceded by 'walk arounds" in the 1880s, when the Glee Club was founded in 1888, it hosted a yearly spring concert, which gradually evolved into Spring Dance and Supper Dance. Organized by a student committee, the dance was open to the entire college, with each house hosting its own dance and hired bands. Because Smith women are "unusually smart as well as unusually attractive, and . . . their hospitality is rightly famous" according to an article for LIFE magazine, the Supper dance was unusually popular and especially well anticipated by male guests. As their hosts, Smithies paid for their weekend and were allowed to cut in on couples and choose their dance partners. The weekend consisted of Friday classes, dancing lasting the greater part of Saturday with a break for dinner, and Sunday activities. The dance was so famous as to attract photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt of LIFE magazine to take pictures for an article about the Supper Dance in 1937. The Supper Dance continued until the 1940s, probably when wartime took its toll.
Scope and Contents of the Collection Information found in the files is incomplete and contains mostly photographs, dance cards and invitations. Photographs can sometimes tell their own story such as with the "Superdance USA" of 1981, with its succession of 4 photographs. However, many photographs are vague and do not communicate who, when, where or why. Present day dances and recreations are unaccounted for. Information about the Supper Dance can be derived from the many press releases about the event.
Ballroom dancing--Massachusetts--Northampton.
lcsh
Afternoon teas--Massachusetts--Northampton.
Recreation--Massachusetts--Northampton.
Women college students--Massachusetts--Northampton--Social life and customs.
Smith College--History--Sources.
Smith College--Students--Social life and customs.
Card Parties 1887-1917
Dance Cards/Invitations 1884-1889
Dances, General Photographs 1979-1982, n.d.
Dress Parties 1882, n.d.
Faculty Teas 1894-1916
"German" 1882-1889
Group Dances 1894-1938
House Dances 1894-1979
House Dances Photographs n.d.
Mixers 1960-1964
Parties 1986-87, 1990
Picnics n.d.
Receptions-House Receptions 1938-1940
Receptions-Senior Receptions 1881-1954
Spreads and Dinner Parties 1882-1900
Square Dances 1936
Student Teas 1887-1987
"Superdance USA" 1981
Supper Dance 1928-1946