Clearing of ground; 1912, Van Dyke; 1922, President and Mrs. Lowell and Dr. Lovett

The collection consists primarily of photographs of events associated with the first thirty-two commencement ceremonies of Rice Institute. There are a few special occasions apart from commencements: in November 1918, the presence of the British Educational Mission and members of the Official French Mission to the United States for the inauguration of the Sharp Lectureship; the Nov. 27, 1919, Thanksgiving Day reunion service after World War I; the February 5, 1920, visit to Rice by General John J. Pershing; and the April 1922 visit of President and Mrs. Lowell of Harvard University for his delivery of the third series of the Godwin Lectures on Public Affairs. All but one of the first thirty-two commencements of the Institute are represented, and typically by the baccalaureate speaker and the commencement speaker. In some years there are photographs of a garden party. In a few cases individual graduates are featured, and there are a number of photographs of academic processions and dignitaries seated on the platform.