Collection inventory

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Syracuse University Poster Collection

An inventory of the collection at the Syracuse University Archives


Finding aid created by: Nicole Morello
Date: 2018

Historical Note

Syracuse University was founded on March 24, 1870, when its Board of Trustees signed the University charter and certificate of incorporation, acting on a proposal put forth earlier that year at the Methodist State Convention. Despite its modest beginnings, the story of Syracuse University has been one of remarkable growth and progress. The University's population has expanded from a few dozen local students to over 21,000 students from all over the world. Significant eras of development in campus building and academic programs included the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries and the post-World War II years. The second half of the twentieth century saw the University transform into a modern research institution with international connections.

Scope and Content Note

The Syracuse University Poster Collection contains posters from as far back as 1902 and as recent as 2019. They encompass a large array of subjects including athletics, academics, and student organizations and activities.

Academic posters advertise different programs of study, special opportunities within programs, student exhibitions, concerts, and events sponsored by schools, colleges, and academic programs. Other co-curricular posters include those advertising conferences, lectures, and seminars, usually sponsored by several different University organizations.

A majority of the collection consists of posters for extracurricular events, including student productions, concerts, speakers and social events. Some student organizations with extensive representation include the University Union, the First-Year Players, and DanceWorks. The collection documents campus wide events such as convocation, commencement, luncheons, major concerts, the Winter Carnival and Parents’ Weekend.

Another extensive group found in the collection are posters produced for various sports teams at Syracuse University. The posters range mostly from the mid-90s to the early 2000s and include a wide sample of athletics. The athletic posters are a good visual example of how imaging technology has changed over time and how the aesthetics of athletics advertising has evolved.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

Other visual materials in the University Archives include the Photograph Collection, the Postcard Collection and the Slide Collection. Most of the subjects covered in the Poster Collection can also be found in the University Archives Clipping Files.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

Advertising.
African American college students.
Athletics.
Basketball.
College students.
Football.
Lacrosse.
Soccer.
Student activities.
Student housing.
Higher education.

Types of Material

Posters.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Syracuse University Poster Collection,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of different offices and groups on campus.

Processing Information

Posters were sorted into groups and placed in folders.

Arrangement

Folders are arranged alphabetically.

Table of Contents

Posters

Inventory