A classic 1902 college poster for Columbia University. A new century was in progress and this poster captured the life of a college student of the era. An undergraduate student is captured in a white turtleneck with the Columbia “C” on the front. He is seated in a chair smoking a cigarette. On a wall behind him are three pictures—one of an athlete at rival Ivy-League school Yale (as seen by the "Y" on his jumper), one of an older person, perhaps a father, who is wearing a similar sweater, and a picture of a woman, perhaps a girlfriend or mother. On a shelf above him are a collection of tobacco pipes, plates and beer mugs, and a Columbia pennant.

This poster was done by John E. Sheridan, one of a small group of illustrators who brought style and talent to the art of posters. Mr. Sheridan produced covers for The Saturday Evening Post and other magazines.