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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...
Slave Auction Painting: Analyzing Primary Sources
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In this video, a VMHC Educator analyzes the painting Slave Auction, Virginia, by LeFevre Cranstone.
Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend
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According to the ballad that made him famous, John Henry did battle with a steam-powered drill, beat the machine, and died. Folklorists have long...
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...
Supreme Injustice: Slavery in the Nation’s Highest Court
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On May 9, 2018, Dr. Paul Finkelman and Dr. Edward L. Ayers engaged in a conversation about Dr. Finkelman’s latest book, “Supreme Injustice: Slavery in...
Surviving Southampton: Finding Women in Nat Turner’s Community
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On June 24, 2021, historian Vanessa Holden delivered a Banner Lecture about her new book about how women contributed to America’s most famous slave...
The Devil’s Half Acre – Book Talk and Discussion with Kristen Green and Dr. Carolivia Herron
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On September 19th, 2022, best-selling author and journalist Kristen Green joined Dr. Carolivia Herron to discuss the subject of Green’s book and...
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 Ghosts of Eden Park
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On October 10, 2019, Karen Abbott delivered a Banner Lecture entitled, “The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the...
The History Crisis in America: Myth and Reality
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On July 9 at noon, Charles F. Bryan, Jr., delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "The History Crisis in America: Myth and Reality."
History occupies a...
The Jeffersons at Shadwell
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On January 13, 2011, Susan Kern discussed her book, The Jeffersons at Shadwell. In her book, Susan Kern merges archaeology, material culture, and...
The Life and Legacy of Emily Winfree: From Enslavement to Carnegie Hall
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On June 16th, 2022, authors Jan Meck & Virginia Refo held a thoughtful talk and discussion about their new book, The Life and Legacy of Enslaved...
The Material World of Eyre Hall: Four Centuries of Chesapeake History
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On March 24, 2022, Carl R. Lounsbury delivered a lecture about four centuries of Chesapeake history as revealed through material world of Eyre Hall.
...The Permanent Resident: Excavations and Explorations of George Washington’s Life
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On October 13, 2022, Dr. Philip Levy gave a fascinating lecture on the principal archaeological sites associated with George Washington and what they...
The Rarefied Life of George Washington Parke Custis
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George Washington Parke Custis was raised at Mount Vernon by George and Martha Washington. Young “Wash” appears in Edward Savage's 1789 painting of...
The Record of Murders and Outrages: Racial Violence and the Fight over Truth during Reconstruction
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On February 10, 2022, historian William Blair delivered a lecture about the early Reconstruction era effort by Freedmen’s Bureau officers to document...
The Roads from War to Reconstruction and Beyond
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On June 22, Edward L. Ayers spoke with Paul Levengood in a Banner Lecture entitled “The Roads from War to Reconstruction and Beyond.”
Reconstruction...
The Virginia Venture: American Colonization and English Society, 1580-1660
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On June 22, 2023, Misha Ewen presented a fascinating virtual discussion of her new book, The Virginia Venture: American Colonization and English...
Virginia Waterways and the Underground Railroad
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Enslaved Virginians sought freedom from the time they were first brought to the Jamestown colony in 1619. Acts of self-emancipation were aided by...