Swarthmore College Halcyons

The first Swarthmore College annual was published in 1883 by the Eunomian Literary Society. Aptly named "The Eunomian," the volume contained 112 pages of poetry, silly prose, lists of classes, teams, clubs, results of sporting events, statistics, and a history of the Class of 1883. It also included 28 additional pages of advertisements which contributed to a substantial profit the first year. The second attempt in putting out a yearbook was postponed until 1887, when The Halcyon was published by the junior class in a similar format to its predecessor. The 1891 Halcyon was the first to contain photographs, but only of the faculty and of the 1889 football team. An image of the Swarthmore Mandolin, Guitar, and Banjo Club as well as some pictures of College buildings were added the following year. It wasn't until the next issue that there was a group photograph of the Class of 1893. The Halcyon has been published annually since that time. The Halcyon was originally published by the Junior Class, and the covers were printed accordingly with the Junior Class year until 1955.