This week, Bwog took a trip down memory lane in the Rare Books and Manuscript Library. If you haven’t done research there, we recommend it—in their archives are all of the undergraduate yearbooks back to the 1890s. And a lot of other important historical documents, too. After a short process of creating an account in the library system, we were able to look at the yearbooks in the reading room. First up was 1914.

On to 1921. Ah, the roaring twenties. Some gems from this yearbook include impressive drawings of Columbia buildings, some old pictures of frats looking classy, and the revelation that before the Varsity Show was coed, they had to make do with boys in dresses.

Next, we looked at some yearbooks from the 30s and 40s. John Berryman and Allen Ginsberg both showed up, as did several other noteworthy Columbians.

The 1952 yearbook was also quite a treasure trove. From old pictures of frats looking way too classy to now-defunct student groups, there is clearly a lot to miss about the 50s version of Columbia.

Last but not least, we couldn’t leave without taking a look through some 80’s yearbooks.