Medium: Raccoon fur and horn

Date: c. 1924

Country: USA

Credit: Gift of Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed

One of the best-remembered college fads in American history is the craze during the 1920s for the raccoon coat. Where and when it all began continues to be a subject of debate, but as early as the fall of 1923, the Princeton newspapers reported that raccoon coats were "as thick as flies" on campus. The coat soon became a sensation on other college campuses around the country. In 1924, the popular singer Rudy Vallee was crooning in a dance band manned by fellow Yalies. Four years after he left New Haven, Doin’ the Raccoon was a hit song, and in 1929 the raccoon coat was depicted on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. Although its popularity inevitably waned, the raccoon coat attests to the importance on college campuses of fashion trends for men.

Object Number: 2010.21.1