The search results below contain listings from our website. To search our library and museum collections catalogs, please visit the Collections page.
Secrets & Symbols: Desk by John Shearer
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/qVBIakvYkzVm_SjvAOrjz7uQC4Ub1DVsMbDbDLUeNVQ.jpg)
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
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/xAo_jQgKvukypSI3fNFEljr5rpnQ7SGhBPO0bgwhm8M.jpg)
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: "Crown of Thorns" Chest of Drawers
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/NRzeatuaSP6ff0RzgEeJ6AsbIdq1DHu4FQcUYKAYup4.jpg)
“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...
"Shockoe Valley Topography and the Slave Trade" By Jeffrey Ruggles
![](/sites/default/files/soundcloud/fb_placeholder.png)
On Saturday, February 28, 2009, the community was invited to attend a conference about Richmond’s African American history, “Hidden Things Brought to...
Sites and Stories: African American History in Virginia
![](/sites/default/files/soundcloud/fb_placeholder.png)
On February 14, 2008, Lauranett Lee spoke about “Sites and Stories: African American History in Virginia.”
Historic highway markers are beloved...
Slave Auction Painting: Analyzing Primary Sources
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/wPOIpBkvqb5uab7-SnO5xPYCFobQkWee5MMj4MSz1K4.jpg)
In this video, a VMHC Educator analyzes the painting Slave Auction, Virginia, by LeFevre Cranstone.
Soul Liberty: The Evolution of Black Religious Politics in Postemancipation
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/fNODbucM4CbdjtxA9rGoOhUyh68LS13k3DoDIdGCDEY.jpg)
That churches are one of the most important cornerstones of black political organization is a commonplace. In her new history of African American...
Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/L7AL5tF_v8nrK9vMISufPZc9SF0Qxm_CYZUqhtX0XwY.jpg)
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
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/r83nEMH1RxbOwrQevwUSGGXfHIwqDGbFM7scbnWBKfI.jpg)
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
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/EWvH2k7qMTttZKLHukIU_CFRnnoT0JJCWjT6dUNZh44.jpg)
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...
Take Care of the Living: Reconstructing Confederate Veteran Families By Jeffrey McClurken
![](/sites/default/files/soundcloud/fb_placeholder.png)
The Civil War ended in spring 1865, but for Confederate veterans and their families, its consequences persisted far longer as they began to pick up...
The Civil War at a Crossroads: The Seven Days
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/iUzSwdBGR5lCTkCpuvYsD59b49CruCPAy6qmFV7aDdI.jpg)
The Devil’s Half Acre – Book Talk and Discussion with Kristen Green and Dr. Carolivia Herron
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/GOPFPO0CEIrnftJ97RbPTTJC-8VWYhh5BBMR6WnbLzA.jpg)
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
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/0wBBYL7n5gaBU8WdzEIDnhyZGn9EaFTfST_ZHqaZHck.jpg)
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 History Crisis in America: Myth and Reality
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/kT1AAya1aq6nYj8ns4LYS9EP-CpS3yLK6NKqNhP8nbc.jpg)
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 Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/vkzNXOm2wCFmR_IZdRvMGbD52g24NkxCGWiV_8J8twc.jpg)
On April 17, 2014 Alan Taylor delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832."
In 1813, British...
The Jeffersons at Shadwell
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/FRjRZXcKs1WeNGlbDgHkbH4d5Czn9s3w6z7b15P29A0.jpg)
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
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/l6ZhkEdUEu090y0iqrpleoS1W8EjDruSYEngdELu0K0.jpg)
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 Lincolns, the Booths, and the Spirits: Two Families and the Otherworld in the Civil War
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/KRQ01-9rsqd_ABuunMQkCapwZfvh1thKeA3GyBY_PEs.jpg)
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 Material World of Eyre Hall: Four Centuries of Chesapeake History
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/CjmrW8TqSM9ML26fVffRc0hErlAshWC15weKVx7ShzQ.jpg)
On March 24, 2022, Carl R. Lounsbury delivered a lecture about four centuries of Chesapeake history as revealed through material world of Eyre Hall.
...