March 19, 2008: From the Archives

Unidentified seniors pick up their beer suits at the Princeton U-Store in this undated photograph. The first documented appearance of the beer suit, which included overalls and a white denim jacket with a design on the back, was in 1915. One legend is that seniors wore the suits to protect their clothing while drinking beer and carving their initials on tables of the old Nassau Inn. Beer suits evolved into mere beer jackets over time and now are known by the more politically correct name of “senior jackets.” The senior jackets, which usually illustrate something distinctive about the class, are replaced by a blazer at the class’s 25th reunion. Do any PAW readers recognize the students shown here?