Degree colours

Despite having seen my share of films and TV shows featuring scenes set at graduation ceremonies, I had no idea that American universities had long since adopted a standardised set of colours for graduation robes based primarily upon the subject you had studied:

Not until the late 1800s were colors assigned to signify certain areas of study, but they were only standardized in the United States. European institutions have always had diversity in their academic dress, but American institutions employ a definite system of dress thanks to Gardner Cotrell Leonard from Albany, New York. After designing gowns for his 1887 class at Williams College, he took an interest in the subject and published an article on academic dress in 1893. Soon after he was asked to work with an Intercollegiate Commission to form a system of academic apparel.

The system Gardner Cotrell Leonard helped form was based on gown cut, style and fabric; as well as designated colors to represent fields of study.

Judging by the chart at that site, had I been studying in the USA my graduation robe would have featured a not-terribly-attractive mix of Drab, Dark Blue and Peacock Blue. Ewww…

(That said, I have to admit that I can’t even remember what colour the trim on my graduation gown was. It’s just possible that it was an even less attractive colour combination, and my subconscious did me a favour by editing it from my long-term memory.)