Vintage Collegiate Silk | Vanderbilt

This Vanderbilt ribbon originates from the early 20th‑century period when the Richmond Straight Tobacco Company of Richmond, Virginia — now part of Philip Morris — was producing a remarkable range of collegiate textiles as promotional premiums. Between 1910 and 1914, the company issued a celebrated series of fifty printed silks featuring American colleges and universities, each combining banners, seals, mascots, songs, and yells. Encased in a clear plexiglass frame, the ribbon becomes a refined artifact: a slender but resonant expression of Vanderbilt’s identity and a testament to the craftsmanship of early collegiate textiles. For collectors, it offers a rare variation within the broader family of Richmond Straight Tobacco Company premiums. For Vanderbilt alumni, it’s a beautifully preserved fragment of the university’s visual heritage — understated in format, yet rich in character.