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A look at Dartmouth’s first library catalog reveals a curriculum based on familiarity with canonical texts. The collection would remain small and narrow until well into the nineteenth century.
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A mid-nineteenth-century view of Dartmouth’s medical school; behind and to the right, the Observatory. Liberal and professional education are embodied alongside each other in this image.
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A twentieth-century display of eighteenth-century scientific apparatus used in the pursuit of “natural philosophy.”
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An orrery is a mechanical model which depicts, and sometimes predicts, the relative position of the planets and the Earth and its moon. Collectively, astronomy and other emerging modern sciences were part of “Natural Philosophy” in Dartmouth’s curriculum.
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George Ticknor’s 1803 image framed with a poem on Dartmouth’s founding. Ticknor later became Harvard's first professor of modern languages.
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An image of the college by George Ticknor presented to Dartmouth’s President John Wheelock in 1803. Ticknor later became Harvard's first professor of modern languages.
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A shelf of books reflecting the original holdings of Dartmouth’s library administered by Bezaleel Woodward, professor and first librarian.
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In the 1840s, critical thinking was beginning to be prized as a part of a liberal education. Here, an excerpt from Crito encourages students in the 1840s to observe personal introspection in the liberal arts.
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Skeptical of popular institutions of education, an anonymous student author presents a scathing indictment of the “People’s Literary Institute and Gymnasium” advertised at Pembroke, New Hampshire.
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Student authors often celebrated the life of the mind. Here, an unnamed author in the 1840s exercises his skills and learning to criticize the power of mere opinion and political party to undermine the republic.
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An excerpt from an 1837 letter describing “Grahamism.” The rigorous program of Sylvester Graham prescribed cold water baths and vegetarianism, holding favor with some health conscious students.
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A widely circulated nineteenth-century illustration of Dartmouth College.
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In 1826 James Freeman Dana became Dartmouth's first professor of chemistry. Here, a positive review of his textbook for students, founded on Dana’s instruction and research.
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Professor James Freeman Dana opened his 1823 lecture on agriculture to "any gentleman or practical farmer" without charge, anticipating the link between post-Civil War public land-grant universities and agricultural outreach.
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An 1805 statement of the College's requirements, including its prescribed texts. Included are modern works of political thought by Montesquieu and Locke as well as Ancient texts.
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The scope and nature of instruction at Dartmouth College are clearly shown in a commencement from 1786 featuring oration and debate in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.
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A generation of Dartmouth students used Professor John Smith’s New Hampshire Latin Grammar published in 1802. Smith even sent a copy to Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson thanked him, and added: “I am pleased with every effort to facilitate the acquisition of the Greek & Latin languages”
