The search results below contain listings from our website. To search our library and museum collections catalogs, please visit the Collections page.
Article
Freedmen's Schools
Image
In the antebellum South, African Americans were generally prevented from receiving education. After Appomattox...
Article
George Washington Portrait by Charles Peale Polk
Image
This depiction of George Washington (1732–1799) as commander of the Continental army was painted in the 1790s by Charles...
Article
Glee Clubs
Image
The VMHC has several glee club items in its collection. The earliest item, an 1848 broadside entitled “Rally Whigs”...
Article
Indian Tribes of North America
Image
In the museum's rare book collection, a remarkable compilation of images exists in History of the Indian Tribes of North...
Article
Jefferson’s Desk
Image
There are many reproductions of the desk on which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. Some have even...
Article
Letterhead
Image
Correspondence between individuals plays an important role in our understanding not only of how people communicated in...
Article
Mark Catesby
Image
The first accounts of the strange flora and fauna of the New World created a great demand among European scientists for...
Article
Martha (Dandridge) Custis Washington
Image
This portrait of Martha Washington (1731–1802) is the work of Charles Willson Peale, who also painted the sitter several...
Article
Murals Inspired by the Story of Virginia
Image
Richmond is now home to more than 100 outdoor murals, and this popular form of artwork reflects the city’s modernity and...
Article
On Dueling
Image
In the United States and elsewhere, traditional and patriarchal conceptions of honor prescribed that men could respond...
Article
Oysters in Virginia
Image
Learn about the history of oyster in Virginia's food culture, tourism, and economy.
Article
Patrick Henry Arguing the Parsons’ Cause
Image
The Parsons’ Cause was a legal conflict rooted in the volatility of the tobacco-based economy and the state-sponsored...
Article
Shaving Kits
Image
Before the invention of the disposable double-edged safety razor in 1895, a straight razor was the easiest, most...
Article
The Brook Hill Collection
Image
In 2018, the VMHC was gifted an extraordinary collection of books, documents, and art associated with the Stewart and...
Article
The History of Virginia's Natural Bridge: "So Beautiful an Arch"
Image
In the late eighteenth century, when Thomas Jefferson “discovered” Natural Bridge and purchased it from the King of...
Article
Thomas Sully's Portrait of Pocahontas
Image
Learn about the life of Pocahontas.
Article
Tiny Tomes
Image
Defined as no more than three inches in height or width, miniature books were first produced with convenience in mind...
Article
Virginia Landscapes: Sublime & Picturesque
Image
Thomas Jefferson wrote that Natural Bridge is “the most sublime of nature’s works”: “It is impossible for the emotions...
Article
Virginia’s Sweet History – Chocolate-Making in the Commonwealth
Image
Production methods and flavorings have changed in the 4,000 years since chocolate was consumption began, but it remains...