Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania 1859 Commencement Records
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 4:29:15 PM
Added description
Description
Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania 1859 Commencement Records
Overview
This collection comprises a single page (page 122) from the faculty minute book of the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, scanned in both TIFF and JPEG formats and accompanied by OCR text. The page documents the eighth annual commencement held on March 5, 1859, at the Concert Hall in Philadelphia, and the related reunion‑farewell meeting at Professor Preston’s house. The material is in English and is part of the Drexel Legacy Collections, originally belonging to the college’s archival holdings.Background
The Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, founded in 1850, was the first institution worldwide dedicated to the medical education of women. The faculty minute book records deliberations, resolutions, and event details for the college’s early years. This particular page reflects the college’s efforts to organize a public commencement and to honor its graduates, a significant milestone in the institution’s history.Contents
- Faculty Minutes (Page 122): A detailed record of the faculty’s deliberations, including the appointment of a committee (Dean Edwin Russell and committee member Temple) to secure a hall and arrange the public commencement.
- Event Details: The commencement took place at the Concert Hall; Professor Cleveland conferred degrees, and Professor Birdsell delivered the valedictory. The hall was described as “crowded by an attentive audience.”
- Reunion‑Farewell Meeting: A separate meeting was held that evening at Professor Preston’s house, attended by students, faculty, corporators, and friends of the college.
- OCR Text: The scanned image is accompanied by machine‑read text, providing a searchable record of the minutes and event description.
- Metadata: The collection includes descriptive metadata (creator names, dates, subjects, rights statement) and links to the original minute book (ACC‑092) housed in the Drexel College of Medicine Legacy Center Archives.
Scope
The collection covers a single page of faculty minutes from March 5, 1859, documenting the college’s eighth annual commencement and associated reunion activities. It is limited to the event’s administrative and ceremonial details and does not include broader curricular or institutional records. The material is relevant to scholars of women’s medical education, 19th‑century academic ceremonies, and the history of the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. Use of the images and OCR text requires written permission from the copyright holders.Entities
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Entity Relationships
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Raw Cheimarros Data
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@prof_birdsell:person {full_name: "Prof Birdsell", title: "Professor"}
@prof_preston:person {full_name: "Prof Preston", title: "Professor"}
@temple:person {full_name: "Temple", role: "Committee member"}
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Files (2)
a092_001_122.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
to some other place where they may obtain a fuller practical knowledge of pharmacy and disease. Moreover, that Dr. Russell & Temple be a committee to act with a similar one appointed by the corporators, to obtain a hall and make all other needful arrangements for holding the public commencement. Adjourned Edwin Russell Dean The Eight Annual Commencement was held in Concert Hall on the fifth of March 1859. Prof Cleveland conferred the degree and Prof Birdsell delivered the valedictory. The hall was crowded by an attentive audience. On the evening of the same day a pleasant meeting of reunion and farewell was held at the house of Prof Preston and attended by the students, faculty, corporators, & friends of the College.
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 4:29:15 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/4/2025, 4:19:43 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/4/2025, 4:08:27 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/4/2025, 4:05:03 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Commencement_and_Events_1859"
Parent
No children (leaf entity)