Jessie J. McNall's 1903 graduation dress (SUNY Geneseo/Matt Burkhartt)
When Jessie J. McNall graduated from the Geneseo Normal School in the Class of 1903, she wore this dress for the occasion. Created in Scottsville, NY, it is made of white lawn, a traditional fabric for women’s commencement dresses in the early 1900s, and it’s delicately adorned with shirring, lace medallion inserts, and a wide satin sash.
The Special Collections in Fraser Hall Library range from college memorabilia to local historical documents to rare, fragile, and valuable artifacts.
Read the entire story in the latest issue of the Geneseo Scene.