Adam Scott came to Harvard in the early 20th century from a lower income family. He frequently wore thin nylon shirts since he could not afford silk, its more expensive counterpart. Many of his classmates were able to enjoy the luxury of silk, so Adam sought out nylon clothes with blue silk-like embroidery to fit in with his peers. The school did not mandate silk, so Adam was able to use an alternative textile to wear appropriate clothes to class. Although shirts worn to class were typically white and conservative to match the old ideals of Harvard, Adam wore his blue-embroidered shirt for recreational use outside of the classroom. Whereas family income gaps may have played a larger part in a student’s success and acclimation to Harvard in previous centuries, concerted efforts to close that gap in the late 19th and early 20th century allowed Adam to be equally competitive with his classmates. The government began to pour resources into public libraries and schools to provide equal opportunities to students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. The diversification of shirt material to various wealth classes symbolizes a larger attempt by the school and local government to broaden the opportunities for students like Adam.
