Harvard College (1780- ). Class of 1852

Members of the Class of 1852 fought on both sides in the Civil War and most lived to witness the rise of Harvard from a semi-rural college to a national institution. There are no great events recorded here, only telling details, often recorded in faint pencil: "1863 July 4-Died of wound rec'd July 2 at Gettysburg." This volume is part of the official records of the class, containing biographical information on class members, minutes of class meetings, and records of class suppers.

Harvard College graduating classes created records of the class as both a group and as individuals that followed them through their years at Harvard and beyond into their lives as alumni. The Class of 1852 was the first to use photography as a means of record-keeping. Class members posed for photographer John Adams Whipple, and the 83 sixth-plate daguerreotypes Whipple produced were stored together.