New York University

New York

1831

Formerly “University of the City of New York”

official hood lining pattern
violet

Violet had been adopted as the school color for the University of the City of New York by 1868 at the latest, when it appeared in a list of college colors in a book of college songs entitled Carmina Collegensia, by H.R. Waite.

Citations in the World Almanac (listed by cover date; color information is from the previous year): violet (1895-1935)

A photograph of a Doctor of Dental Surgery hood from New York University in the 16 October 1950 issue of Life magazine. The company that manufactured the hood is not identified, but they appear to have used the same hue for the "violet" hood lining (indicating NYU) and the "lilac" Faculty color of the velvet trim of the hood (indicating a "Dentistry" degree).
A c.1909-1910 tobacco card by Murad Cigarettes.

In 1894, Princeton invited other universities to join an “Intercollegiate Commission on Academic Costume” to draft a uniform system of academic costume for American colleges and universities. Representatives from Columbia University, New York University, Princeton University, and Yale University served on this committee, which used Columbia’s system of academic costume as the basis for the new “Intercollegiate Code of Academic Costume” the Commission approved on 16 May 1895.

New York University formally adopted this Intercollegiate Code on 3 June 1895, stating that the “hoods shall be lined with the official color of the University.” All sources from that period state that violet was the school color of NYU, and this was how the university’s hood lining was described in all Intercollegiate Bureau of Academic Costume (IBAC) materials published thereafter.

Today New York University doctoral gowns can be black, or violet with black velvet trim. A special crest is embroidered on the facings of the violet-colored gown.

The special doctoral regalia for New York University. In this photograph, the gown appears to be purple, not violet. This gown and hood was manufactured by Jostens.
The lining of this Doctor of Philosophy hood should be violet. Here it appears to be lilac, which is the official hood lining for the City University of New York.
A New York University gown manufactured by the Oak Hall Cap and Gown Company. One should note the difference in the hue of this gown versus the Jostens gown to the left versus the official violet color of the university. White piping has been used to outline the black velvet trim on this example. The embroidered crest on the facings of the gown is a torch with the founding date of the university, which was 1831. More information about the developmental history of NYU's special doctoral regalia is needed.