The search results below contain listings from our website. To search our library and museum collections catalogs, please visit the Collections page.
Secrets & Symbols: Child's Chest of Drawers
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/guehiA0NtYQw2apsrqeozEeT3ojkFGrdDIwIYxodDH4.jpg)
Chest of drawers, about 1914
William L. Hedgbeth, Sr. (1882–1966)
VMHC Collection, Gift of Llewellyn H. Hedgbeth in memory of her grandfather William L...
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...
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...
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...
The First Thanksgiving
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/CDB39N-lEAh9z--9oOp6bMhnou2Xx83o0AJLX3lGVNw.jpg)
On October 13, 2011, Graham Woodlief and Barbara Ramos delivered their lecture entitled "The First Thanksgiving."
Because of what they learned in...
The Ghosts of Eden Park
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/2gTuebbjMX0sZkFT6HcUyI1t8FSxGCCaowqPldr7qw0.jpg)
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
![](/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 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 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.
...The Record of Murders and Outrages: Racial Violence and the Fight over Truth during Reconstruction
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/eahPjLzZ5OccvNKmWEakZE8tesoqohVvo7d0QJsmjx8.jpg)
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
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/WLpuXFmmF9zBQ4qdJbI-ZvyndO-tRNRJmqHw4lBFhwo.jpg)
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 Story of Virginia: The Arrival of the First Africans
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/TMLQaaK_rqPICCQQ3bS3PWmDPvRF4F6qd3lkpjRbMkg.jpg)
In this lecture, historian and author Ric Murphy tells the fascinating story of the arrival of the first Africans in Virginia in 1619.
Based on his...
The Strange Genius of Mr. O: The World of the United States’ First Forgotten Celebrity
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/5QygLmOEGzsNnSLSai9uJQD_Gr6fP07AfHMT4EFcZ08.jpg)
On July 15, 2021, historian Carolyn Eastman delivered a Banner Lecture examining the career of James Ogilvie, a now-forgotten celebrity of the very...
Turning Fact into Fiction: Writing Fiction about the Richmond Theater Fire
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/bRPb5gebWIp7dxTGhS85lRsZKgIm-hMABgU_Erl12OY.jpg)
On May 11, 2023, Rachel Beanland gave a lecture on the historical research behind her novel about the Richmond Theater Fire, The House is On Fire...
War and Pieces: Quilts through America's War Years
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/M-dkygNz7iHLxEFAYS47SEKe_0dDHZkqFBfFiQc2OXU.jpg)
On Thursday, August 22, Neva Hart delivered a banner lecture entitled "War and Pieces: Quilts through America's War Years."
For soldiers in the field...
Washington at the Plow: The Founding Farmer and the Question of Slavery
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/nWOIfkY5fpJLp-w8cTrWVExeHX2xvvCI2_Agfp0Hdh4.jpg)
On December 9, 2021, historian Bruce A. Ragsdale presented a lecture about his book, Washington at the Plow: The Founding Farmer and the Question of...
When the Sun Stood Still: Reflections on the Reverend John Jasper in His Bicentennial Year
![](/sites/default/files/oembed_thumbnails/y_ubTJq_4wSeEi1gEG-jGS1tYBOK1OSTHAPy-HYKha4.jpg)
On February 23, 2012, Samuel K. Roberts delivered a lecture entitled "When the Sun Stood Still: Reflections on the Reverend John Jasper in His...