Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Object ID |
M_1_306 |
Title |
[Lions at Nassau Hall, before 1911] |
Collection |
Photo Archives |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Date |
1879-1911 |
Year Range from |
1879 |
Year Range to |
1911 |
Description |
The entrance to Nassau Hall in the period between 1879 and 1911. In 1879, the graduating class gave the lion statues shown here to the University. By 1911, the statues were worn and the class of 1879 replaced them with statues of tigers. Nassau Hall was built in 1756 by Robert Smith, a carpenter and architect. Although the trustees of the college voted to name the building after Jonathan Belcher, the provincial governor, Belcher declined and proposed the name Nassau Hall, after King William III of the House of Nassau. During the Revolutionary War, both British and American troops occupied the building. From July through October 1783, it was the site of the Continental Congress. It burned twice, in 1802 and 1855. Benjamin Henry Latrobe oversaw the reconstruction after the 1802 fire, and John Notman after the 1855 fire. |
Place |
Princeton, NJ |
Print size |
8" x 10" |
Subjects |
Buildings Universities & colleges Halls Stone buildings Trees Statues Sculpture Lions Entrances Stairs Vines |
People |
Smith, Robert Notman, John, 1810-1865 Belcher, Jonathan, 1682-1757 Latrobe, Benjamin Henry, 1764-1820 |
Search Terms |
Princeton University Nassau Hall |
Notes |
Label on back of photo: Lions on step of Nassau Hall M-1 |
Provenance |
M_1_307 and M_1_308 are other prints of the same image. |

