SCENE | The Harvard Raft Race


Photos of the annual Harvard Raft Race by Spencer Grant, 1973 via Massachusetts Collections Online.

Once a year the student houses of Harvard and Radcliffe would race on the Charles River. This annual tradition (which ended in 1990), was "no gentleman's canoe race as practiced in England" however. In the Harvard version, attacks on other Houses' rafts, acts of piracy, and hurling of eggs and tomatoes were not only condoned, but encouraged. The winner enjoyed not only the glory of winning, but cases of beer as their trophy.

Comments

- abigail - said…
that looks like fun! Love to look back at the outfits and full figured ladies using their muscle!
Anonymous said…
This is the kind of wackadoo stuff that you dig up TBS that I live for. Keep that craze preppy spirit alive

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