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Secrets & Symbols: Desk by John Shearer
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Desk, 1817
John Shearer (about 1760–after 1818)
VMHC Collection, Gift of The Children of Louis and Harriett Waldrop
John Shearer, a Scottish immigrant...
Secrets & Symbols: Temperance Quilt
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Quilt, about 1890–1900
Rena Effinger Coyner Koiner (1869–1949)
Cotton fabrics
VMHC Collection, Gift of Dennis and Kay Stockdale
Rena Koiner, the maker of...
Secrets & Symbols: Teresa Blount Portrait
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Portrait of Teresa Blount, about 1710–20s
Unknown artist
VMHC Collection
Traditionally, portraits contain clues to a sitter’s social identity. This...
Secrets & Symbols: "Crown of Thorns" Chest of Drawers
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“Crown of Thorns” chest of drawers, late 1800s
Unknown maker
VMHC Collection
So-called tramp art was popular across the U.S. from the 1870s to the 1930s...
Stonewall Jackson’s Little Sorrel
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On September 14, 2017, Sharon B. Smith delivered a Banner Lecture entitled “Stonewall Jackson's Little Sorrel.”
During the Civil War and throughout...
The 1811 Richmond Theater Fire
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The Feud: The All-American, No-Holds-Barred, Blood-and-Guts Story of the Hatfields and McCoys
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On June 20, 2013, Dean King delivered the 2013 Hazel and Fulton Chauncey Lecture at the Virginia Historical Society entitled "The Feud: The All...
The Lincolns, the Booths, and the Spirits: Two Families and the Otherworld in the Civil War
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On September 8th, 2022, historian Terry Alford held a fascinating lecture about his newest book, In the Houses of Their Dead: The Lincolns, the Booths...
The Poe You May Not Know
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On June 4 at noon, Barbara Anne Cantalupo delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "The Poe You May Not Know."
Although Edgar Allan Poe’s name is most...
The Queen and the USA: Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee in America
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On July 26, 2012, H. Edward "Chip" Mann delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "The Queen and the USA: Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee in America."
Althoug...
The Strange Genius of Mr. O: The World of the United States’ First Forgotten Celebrity
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On July 15, 2021, historian Carolyn Eastman delivered a Banner Lecture examining the career of James Ogilvie, a now-forgotten celebrity of the very...
We Shall Not Be Moved: Virginia Songs of Labor
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From the textile mills of Danville to the coal fields of Wise to the tobacco factories of Richmond, workers have rallied to songs of labor. The songs...
Weird-but-True Things Most People Don't Know about the Roaring Twenties
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On November 14 at 2 p.m., Mary Miley Theobald delivered a lecture entitled "Weird-but-True Things Most People Don't Know about the Roaring Twenties."
...What's Wrong with Black Beard?
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On March 19 at noon, Kevin P. Duffus delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "What's Wrong with Black Beard?"
The traditional historical interpretation...