Celebrating George Washington’s birthday… in costume
In 1932, Washington College was celebrating its 150th anniversary, and George Washington was celebrating his 200th.
The Washington College Archives has recently digitized 16mm films shot on campus in
the 1930s. One of these documents the June 11, 1932, celebration for the Washington
College Sesquicentennial and George Washington’s Bicentennial. A day-long event beginning
with a sunrise gun, a cannon shot from the campus green with a 75-millimeter gun on
loan from Fort Hoyle. Commencement was held as usual; the guest speaker was Herr Von
Prittwitz, the German Ambassador. Maryland Governor Ritchie also presided over the
events. President Herbert Hoover was invited but was unable to attend. He was granted
an Honorary Degree in absentia.
Festivities included a Parade of Floats, unveiling and dedication of a memorial marker,
and a series of pageants showing small vignettes from George Washington’s life. Numerous
locals dressed in colonial costumes and performed skits from colonial dancing to revolutionary
rides on horseback. The day culminated with the firing of the sunset gun.
This eleven-minute film starts off with some innocuous shots of Spring, some bits from a football game shot
from the cupola of William Smith, and some quick shots of campus. Then a band gets
out of their cars, probably the Rock Hall Band that performed at the celebration.
Then we get to the event introduced with title cards. Some filmed highlights include
the firing of the gun, “Tech Tilghman,” Washington’s Aide de Campe, reenactment of
his ride from Yorktown to Philadelphia carrying news of Gen. Cornwallis’s surrender,
a dance sequence, and, of course, a reenactment of George Washington receiving his
honorary degree from the college.
The event was also filmed by Pathe News, as the President of RKO pictures Hiram Brown, was on the Board of Visitors & Governors of the College. Other documentation of the event is a scrapbook of clippings and a photograph album. This must have been a time of excitement for both Chestertown and the College. Local schools wrote and performed in the pageants; local bigwigs took on costumed roles and planned celebratory events. Everyone was involved in the celebration.
Today, inclusivity is important for these celebrations. As we celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, many institutions are showcasing historical items that may have been overlooked at the bicentennial celebrations because they highlighted those of overlooked communities, but are still just as important to the story of our nation. We can see how those in 1932 looked at these communities; the African American community was represented, but sadly, through blackface. An offensive trope that dates back to the minstrel performers who began in the 1830s with Thomas Rice’s song “Jim Crow”. In fact, the term Jim Crow is rooted in the minstrel show characters that perpetuated many of the unfounded stereotypes about the African American community. This moved into Hollywood with the first-ever major motion picture, “Birth of a Nation” (1914). Shaping the way many white audiences engaged with African American culture, creating and perpetuating falsities. If you would like to learn more about the history of Blackface and Hollywood, please watch this documentary by Turner Classic Movies: Blackface and Hollywood – African American Film History film. Sadly, this practice was in regular use until World War II, and could still be found up until the late 1950s. Worse still, it has even been seen popping up on many college campuses over the decades, used as a “costume” at Halloween and Greek parties.
We hope that the nation’s 250th will be a time to highlight the contributions of all those who fought and sacrificed
for the freedoms we hold dear. There is still a struggle to reckon with our past;
one only needs to look at the barren walls of Philadelphia’s Independence Mall that
once held a display on George Washington’s slaves. These films are quaint and show
a sanitized and simple version of historical events. They are patriotic, but sugary
tableaus. As we begin to approach Washington College’s 250th in 2032, we hope that our celebration will be as joyful and perhaps more inclusive.
To watch the festivities and get a few rare glimpses of a football game at Washington College, please visit our Digital Archive.
