May Belle Chellis, Class of 1886, Seen as Never Before

As members of Middlebury’s Class of 2026 prepared to enjoy their final days on campus before graduation, staff in the College’s Special Collections department received a special gift, one that provides a glimpse of Middlebury history—at a similar point in the lives of soon-to-be grads.

The recent donation consists of a handful of photographs from the late 19th century, individual and group portraits of young women in formal celebratory attire; penciled inscriptions on the back of the photographs reveal names and dates and, in one instance, the occasion that prompted the picture.

Found in an antique mall in Wheeler, Oregon, the pictures were donated to Middlebury after the collector did some light research and discovered the provenance of the subjects.

The young women included May Belle Chellis, Middlebury Class of 1886 and first woman graduate of the College, Daisy Edgerton, and May Bolton; the trio entered Middlebury at the same time, with the latter graduating a year later in 1887.

Before the acquisition, Middlebury only had two images of Chellis—one of her as a student and another of her later in life—in its collection.