On view during the final year of the American Civil War’s sesquicentennial commemoration, Beard Wars features local photographer Terry Brown’s portraits of members of the RVA Beard League, inspired by images of Civil War generals in the Valentine’s collection.
“A History of Richmond in 50 Objects” explores the history of Richmond, Virginia, through a selection of objects from the Valentine collection. Paying homage to “A History of the World in 100 Objects,” the ground-breaking partnership of the British Museum and BBC Radio 4 in 2010 that focused on world history, this exhibition continues the dialogue in a way that is uniquely Richmond. From an 1819 imprint of John Smith’s 1624 Map of Virginia to the rainbow flag that flew at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond in 2011, “RVA 50” examines how objects contain layers of meaning that are both personal and public.
The Wickham House is a spectacular example of 19th century neoclassic architecture and displays some of the country’s finest examples of interior decorative painting. Today, the house and its contents continues to foster artistic creation. Students from the nationally recognized Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts have created site-specific works of art inspired and informed by its architecture and history. This innovative project allows the visitor to investigate new interpretive approaches for historic houses. The exhibit explores contemporary responses to the House in a variety of media and disciplines. Look for these original masterpieces in the front hall, the parlor, the drawing room, upstairs and in the basement. We hope that these works of art inspire you.
This exhibition focuses on the rising popularity of body art, specifically tattoos, broadly in American culture and locally in Richmond. In 2010, NBC’s “The Today Show” listed Richmond as the third most tattooed city in the United States, citing the city’s high number of tattoo shops per capita. This year the Valentine partnered with local photographer Terry Brown to document locally-made tattoos.
An exploration of Henrico County’s history on the 400thanniversary of its founding, this photography exhibition includes images taken in Henrico from the 19th century to the present. Drawing upon the photograph collections of both the Valentine and Henrico County, “Into Focus” chronicles how times have changed architectural and culturally throughout the county. Originally named Henricus, Henrico was settled by the Virginia Company in 1611, making it the second English settlement in North America. The exhibition documents the county’s five districts of Brookland, Fairfield, Three Chopt, Tuckahoe, and Varina and includes photographs from historic sites such the J.E.B Stuart Monument at Yellow Tavern.
An exhibition of mid-to-late century images from the Valentine’s Richmond Times-Dispatch Collection, as determined by the winners of a caption contest held in February 2011. The public was invited to submit original, creative captions for up to 100 random images from this collection. The winning captions appear alongside their respective photos, along with the actual captions that ran in the Richmond Newspapers, in an exhibition on view concurrently at the Valentine and the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Originally incorporated as a town in 1769, Manchester developed into an independent city directly south of Richmond across the James River and was incorporated into the City of Richmond in 1910. An early center of shipping and the slave trade, Manchester also was home to numerous mills and factories. Its main thoroughfare Hull Street developed into the area’s commercial core, serving the surrounding suburbs of Spring Hill, Blackwell, Forest Hill, Bainbridge, Woodland Heights and Swansboro.
This photography exhibition explores Richmond’s 20th century theater community, examining playhouses and movie theaters, professional and amateur actors, and memorable events and personalities. Visitors will see images documenting the city’s rich theater history, from the Academy of Music and Biograph Theater to the Little Theatre League and Eddie Weaver. Additional playbills, tickets, posters and other theater memorabilia are located in cases outside of the Stern Gallery.
Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the Richmond Fire Department, this photography exhibition examines firefighting, public safety and fire disasters in 20th century Richmond,Virginia.
Bordered by Cary and Belvidere Streets to the north and east and Oregon Hill Parkway and Hollywood Cemetery to the south and west, Oregon Hill was settled in the 1840s by immigrant ironworkers and developed into a tight-knit working class neighborhood. Using images from the History Center’s collection, the exhibition traces the development of the neighborhood’s residents, businesses, institutions and preservation challenges.
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