Special Collections Research Center

Author Cece Bell signs books for a line of kids and adults
Past Exhibits

Past Exhibits

  • Rising & Falling Families

    Reframing Race and Capitalism in Virginia's New South

    On Display: September 8, 2020 - January 16, 2022

    Location: Marshall Gallery, 1st Floor Rotunda

    This exhibit analyzes the ways in which changing market and race relations intersected with Virginia families throughout the burgeoning New South, the economic and cultural developments that occurred…

  • Headshot of a person in graduation cap and gown.

    The Asian Centennial at William & Mary: Pu Kao Chen '23

    On Display: October 7 - December 31, 2021

    In 1921, Pu Kao (P. K.) Chen, a Chinese international student from Tsing Hua College in “Peking” (Beijing), boarded the steamship China to come study at William & Mary. In doing so, he became the…

  • Person in U.S. Army uniform, colorful background, close-up view.

    Veterans Day

    Honoring All Who Served

    On Display: November 10 - December 3, 2021

    Though early women veterans were prohibited from direct combat roles or assignments, and even officially banned from serving in combat from 1994-2013, women have always served as crucial members of…

  • Women's lacrosse players in action on the field, one holding a lacrosse stick aloft.

    Game Changers

    100 Years of Women's Athletics at William & Mary

    On Display: August 23, 2018 - November 30, 2021

    Location: Kaplan Arena

    Game Changers highlights the significant history of women’s athletics at William & Mary, celebrates its game-changing athletes, and anticipates its bright future.

  • Vintage propaganda poster with women marching.

    The Cold Wars

    Russian and US Relations in the Twentieth Century

    On Display: September 19, 2019 - September 30, 2021

    Location: 3rd Floor Rotunda Gallery

    Through the wide-ranging, eclectic materials of William & Mary Libraries' Special Collection Research Center, this exhibit highlights the era's conflicts and compromises from a firsthand perspective.

  • A hand holding a feather quill pen on a purple background.

    The Daragan Collection of Almanacs

    Keeping track of the everyday in history

    On Display: September 19, 2019 - September 26, 2021

    Location: Bright Gallery, 2nd Floor Rotunda

    Almanacs are annual guidebooks, used as a calendar and sometimes as a diary, for looking up astronomical data or astrological signs, and even as a weather forecast.

  • Graphic illustration of a blue octopus with scattered writing on a white background.

    Carteles de Alucho

    Cuban Poster Art

    On Display: December 1, 2017 - September 18, 2021

    Location: Botetourt Gallery

    Alejandro Rodríguez Fornés “Alucho,” is a prolific graphic designer and an important figure in the use of emerging technologies and digital art in Cuban graphic design; this is his first solo exhibit…

  • A person's back with "WE DEFINE OUR SELVES" written on it in red lettering.

    In Their Own Words

    Zine Making for Self-Exploration and Expression

    On Display: April 23 - September 12, 2021

    Before social media gave users the freedom to share their lives and perspectives, zines radically challenged the publishing industry’s standards, providing a way to spark dialogues about unaddressed…

  • A vintage photo of a smiling couple standing beside an old car.

    On Simple Joys, Private Lives, and Monumental Days

    Shining a Light on the Everyday Lives of Black Americans

    On Display: February 26 - April 21, 2021

    Location: Swem Lobby

    In this exhibit, we have centered on more private aspects of the lives of Black Americans based on source materials housed in Special Collections with the hope that it will help challenge ideas of…

  • Group of early 20th-century men with bicycles standing in front of a brick wall.

    Putting the Unity in Community

    Activities and Activism at William & Mary

    On Display: October 2 - 29, 2020

    Location: Swem Lobby

    Healthy Together is not just social distancing, it is also about finding and maintaining a community in the midst of upheaval and uncertainty that help you feel safe and seen.

  • Illustration of Santa Claus on a camel holding an umbrella, with children and gifts around.

    A New York Holiday

    Printing Christmas in the Nineteenth Century

    On Display: December 2, 2019 - January 6, 2020

    Location: Swem Lobby Exhibit Case

    This year’s exhibit considers the changing role of Christmas symbolism, including Moore’s poem, within the developing New York City publishing scene during the nineteenth century.

  • Three individuals leaning on a railing in a black and white photo.

    "More Ourselves"

    100 Years of Women in 20 Artifacts

    On Display: March 14 - August 18, 2019

    Location: Special Collections Lobby

    This exhibit highlights the history of W&M women through the artifacts they owned, created, and used during their time at the university.

  • A collection of overlapping pastel-colored speech bubbles on an off-white background.

    Narrating Herstory

    Oral Histories Commemorating 100 Years of Coeducation at W&M

    On Display: September 22, 2018 - July 7, 2019

    Location: Swem Entrance Gallery

    Narrating Herstory is a dynamic exhibit featuring the complex, inspiring stories of women who experienced these inaugural years firsthand and who transformed campus for the generations to come.

  • Justly Belongs

    100 Years of Women at William & Mary

    On Display: August 20, 2018 - July 1, 2019

    Location: Marshall Gallery, 1st Floor Rotunda

    Justly Belongs serves to commemorate William & Mary women and acknowledge the one hundred-year journey of making William & Mary their home.

  • Stylized text that forms the word "type" with red and blue colors on a white background.

    Lasting Impressions

    Printing from the Fifteenth Century to Today

    On Display: November 16, 2017 - June 30, 2019

    Location: Bright Gallery, 2nd Floor Rotunda

    In our digital age, it is sometimes easy to forget about the importance of printing in human history, particularly as many people now almost never hold a physical newspaper or book in their hands.

  • A circle divided into four parts, each containing different historical lifestyle illustrations.

    Eat with the Seasons

    Selected Cookbooks from Swem Library's Special Collections

    On Display: July 18, 2017 - June 16, 2019

    Location: 3rd Floor Rotunda Gallery

    Broadly centered on the theme of seasonality, this exhibit draws on a collection of cookbooks and recipe books housed in Swem Library's Special Collections Research Center to explore what individuals…

  • Woman in a hat looking a mountain across a field of flowers.

    2019 Study Abroad Photo Contest

    On Display: April 17 - May 21, 2019

    Location: Botetourt Gallery

    Students who studied abroad in the 2017-2018 academic year submitted hundreds of photos from their international experiences from all over the world.

  • Banner featuring silhouette profiles and text "Scholarship on Display: AFRICANA STUDIES."

    Scholarship on Display: Africana Studies

    On Display: May 11, 2018 - April 14, 2019

    Location: Swem Entrance Gallery

    Joint-appointed in Anthropology, Economics, English, Dance, Theatre, and History, Africana Studies’ core faculty professors’ interdisciplinary scholarship covers a diverse array of topics.

  • Vintage photo of people posing on a thatched roof cart, with one man standing, others seated, in rural setting.

    “We Willed It Not”

    World War I in the Everyday

    On Display: March 16, 2018 - March 3, 2019

    Location: Special Collections Lobby

    The Great War, also known as World War I (WWI) — or the World War to those hopeful that it would be the only one — affected almost every continent and impacted millions of individuals.