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"That part of America, now called Virginia"

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In 1590, John White published the first separate map of “Virginia” and the first printed record of Sir Walter Raleigh’s...

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A House Built of Virginia Stone

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Approximately forty miles south of Washington, D.C., the Aquia sandstone quarry on Government Island sits quietly in the...

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A Landscape Saved: The Garden Club of Virginia at 100

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The landscape of the state is enchanting and, when threatened, Garden Club members unite to educate themselves and the...

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A Life Rediscovered: The Story of Emily Winfree

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Emily Winfree, an African American woman who lived through slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow, never...

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Arthur Ashe Jr.’s Family Tree: Tracing the Blackwell Family to 1735

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See a rare family tree, drawn by hand on canvas, tracing Arthur Ashe, Jr.’s family.

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Audubon's The Birds of America

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In the VMHC collections are several rare editions of his work, including a first edition of Viviparous Quadrupeds and...

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Audubon's Viviparous Quadrapeds

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Following the success of his Birds of America, John James Audubon began to gather material for an equally ambitious...

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Before We Went Underground and Wireless…

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Edwin Fisher Conger loved trees—especially chestnuts, those tall, majestic perennials from which he would eventually...

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Birthday Songs for George Washington

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Though you might not expect it, 1932 was a big year for George Washington. It marked the 200th anniversary of Washington...

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Carving Out Space in the Military: WAVES

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World War II opened new opportunities for women in the military and on the home front, though it was not the first war...

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Changing the Commonwealth with Crayons

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When she was in the third grade, a classmate asked her to pass the “skin-colored” crayon—a familiar request heard at her...

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Christmas Cards

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Christmas cards are ephemeral, and this essence is the very reason they can be of interest to researchers. Scholars...

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Christmas in the Trenches

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Read excerpts from soldiers' letters home about their Christmas meals while stationed away from home.

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Clarise Sears Ramsey

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Charlotte Clarise Sears Risley Harrold Ramsey (1867–1922), whose parents were Joseph Henry Risley and Mary Elizabeth...

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Clementina Rind

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Clementina Rind was Virginia’s first female printer and newspaper publisher, publishing important official documents for...

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Colonial Cookbooks

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Food and dining were integral to social life in the eighteenth century, particularly among the upper class. The gentry...

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Dolley Madison

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Dolley (Payne) Todd Madison (1768–1849) lived through three wars, knew eleven presidents, and was a gracious and...

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Elizabeth I

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Elizabeth I (1533–1603), queen of England, never married and was known as the virgin queen. The first English attempts...

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Elizabeth Keckley

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Born a slave in Dinwiddie County, Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (1818–1907) purchased her freedom in 1855 and supported...

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Ella Fitzgerald's False Eyelashes

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Legendary singer and Virginia native Ella Fitzgerald, dubbed “The First Lady of Song,” exhilarated audiences with her...