Douglass Ghosts: A Student's Look into Douglass' Past

Lily Barber DRC'28, a history major and student artist at Douglass, examined the intersection of photography, textile arts, and archival work through her piece, Douglass Ghosts. The photo book is an exploration and tribute to the history of Douglass campus, the intergenerational ties of our community, and its effect on current students’ sense of place and home here on campus.

“I’m always thinking about how we as Douglass students can exist the way we do now because of all those who came before us,” said Lily. “The Douglass Ghosts photo book attempts to capture the connection I feel between myself and the past students at Douglass College and the New Jersey College for Women through the concepts of ghosts and the supernatural.”

The book comprises archival photographs of Douglass students, sourced from the Douglass library, juxtaposed with her own photography of current students on campus. Lily has even mixed new and old imagery by using Photoshop to insert old subjects into new photographs and vice versa. Douglass Ghosts was partly inspired by the local chatter about Douglass Campus’s reputation around New Brunswick.  

“People always say that Douglass is the romantic campus, perhaps even a bit haunted,” said Lily. “Yet as I started to live on Douglass, I felt that ‘haunted’ wasn’t the right word. I feel such a positive connection to the past and value the people who have been students here for generations. And that puts the concept of a ‘ghost’ in a different light—I feel a sense of empowerment by their legacies and presence on campus, not fear.”

A student of various mediums as well as women and gender studies, Lily intentionally used stereotypically feminine materials and techniques for this project. The piece features a hand-embroidered book featuring Jameson Hall, hand-dyed fabric, and scrapbooking techniques.

“I tried to use crafts and arts normally thought of as ‘women’s crafts’ like scrapbooking and embroidering—things viewed traditionally as feminine crafts and not real art,” Lily said. “Through this book, I look to reclaim those mediums.”

This past year, the book was put on view in the Douglass library as part of the Gender and Arts Living-Learning Community student exhibition.

“The student exhibition is such an incredible opportunity. I always wanted to do some kind of gallery work in college, but I didn’t know how to as a non-arts major,” Lily said. “The Gender and Arts Living-Learning Community allowed me to experience what it’s like to show my work in a public space.”

Lily’s reversal of the term “ghost” and her reclamation of “women’s crafts” have ultimately brought her even closer to the Douglass alums and community that informs her life as a current Douglass student living on the Douglass campus.

“I’m really comforted and empowered by the legacy of women on this campus, and by exploring our Douglass history through art, I see myself in it even more.”