The text under the picture comes from an elegy by the Roman poet Albius Tibullus (c. 55 BCE – c. 19 BCE). The poem imagines that in a time of troubles, Venus arrived to rescue the narrator and carried him to the Elysian Fields- a mythical place of peace and learning, where gentle youth practiced the arts and sciences. Another threat intervened, but Aurora carried the narrator away in her chariot (pictured). This invitation, though, was for a gentler event. At the end of each term, academies held exhibitions of their students’ accomplishments in music and oratory. This one was held at Washington College, founded in 1823, in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1978, it merged to form the present-day Trinity College.
Washington College. Junior Exhibition. April 14, 1830. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l01-064/. Accessed on October 17, 2024.
Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.