Our collections feature a wide range of objects, including books and bound serials, imprints, sheet music, broadsides, newspapers, manuscripts, business and organizational records, genealogical materials, manuscripts, maps, paintings, prints, postcards, weapons, militaria, glass plate negatives, and photographs.
Are you interested in donating to our collection? Learn how you can donate.
Our research library provides access to an unrivaled collection of primary and secondary sources and researcher resources related to the history and culture of Virginia.
The VMHC collections consist of a wide range of written material and objects, including genealogical materials, manuscripts, maps, paintings, prints, postcards, weapons, militaria, glass plate negatives, and photographs.
We offer an array of resources to assist with your research, including finding aids, indexes, and research guides, concerning genealogy, property, and business history.
Our library contains many resources to help you research Virginia properties and localities.
Our collections contain a wide selection of business history records, from single-volume account books to massive record groups.
Established in 1893, the Virginia Magazine of History & Biography (VMHB), the quarterly journal of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, publishes articles and book reviews on Virginia and southern history.
Our Research Library offers a number of services, including digital scans and reproductions, object-viewing appointments, fee-based research, and general support.
Learn about what types of items are accepted by the VMHC and how to donate to our collections.
We are collecting stories and objects from Virginians across the state. Learn about how you can contribute.
Featured Collections Items
The VMHC has a collection of more than 9 million items. Here are just a few them (please note that not all of them may be on display to the public). Search the Library or Museum Objects Collections databases to learn more.
Tennis racquet,bag, and wrist band, all belonged to Arthur Ashe.
Pastel drawing depicting Natural Bridge in Snow by George Brewerton in 1872.
Portrait in oils of George Washington by Charles Peale Polk, nephew of Charles Willson Peale, whose 1787 portrait of the general was the basis for this image.
Bowie knife taken from John Brown at Harper's Ferry in 1859 by J.E.B. Stuart.
Chippenale slant-front desk with bracket feet, Eastern Virginia, probably Richmond, based on Williamsburg prototype.
Complete WAVES uniform from World War II worn by Nancy E. Bailey (Bon Cogsdale).
1915 Photograph show a group of women gathered in Capitol Square holding large banners which read "Equal Suffrage League and Richmond, Virginia" and "Votes for Women."
Program from the Virginia State Unit of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference meeting, includes a black and white photograph of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and five signatures (clockwise from
Image depicting Norfolk and Western Train No. 3, the Pocahontas, in a shroud of exhaust with 13 cars of Christmas mail and passengers.
Tintype portrait of Pvt. Robert Thaxton, a Confederate soldier killed at the battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, in May 1863.
We hope that you will find what you are looking for within our online catalogs or among our Research Resources, but if you are in need of additional assistance, please contact our research team at reference@VirginiaHistory.org or 804.342.9677.
