Valentine Richmond History Center

Valentine Richmond History Center
Established	1898
Location	Richmond, Virginia
Type	History Museum
Website	http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com

Mann S. Valentine and the Artist, oil on canvas, William James Hubard, 1852. Collection of the Valentine Richmond History Center

The Valentine Richmond History Center, VRHC, is a museum which opened on November 21, 1898 dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting the history of Richmond, Virginia, USA.

The History Center offers major changing exhibitions which focus on American urban and social history, costumes and textiles, decorative arts and architecture. The History Center also includes the stately 1812 Wickham House, a National Historical Landmark and outstanding example of neoclassical architecture. The History Center is the only institution in the city committed solely to Richmond history.

In August 2011, the History Center learned of its continuing accreditation by the American Association of Museums, the professional organization for museums nationwide. Accreditation is a widely acknowledged seal of approval that recognizes a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement. The museum has been continuously accredited since 1972, just one year after the accreditation program’s inception. The History Center is one of just five accredited institutions in the Richmond region. Only 779 museums in the United States are accredited, and only 22 percent are history museums.

A one-day admission to the Valentine Richmond History Center exhibition galleries, the Edward V. Valentine Sculpture Studio, and the Wickham House is available. In addition, a Court End Passport is also available which includes admission to all the above, as well as the John Marshall House (March through October) and the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia.

History

Origins

The history of the museum begins earlier than 1898 with its founder, Mann S. Valentine Jr. Valentine made his fortune with the creation and production of Valentine’s Meat Juice, a health tonic made from pure beef juice. The juice reached its greatest success and acknowledgment in 1881 when President Garfield said, after wounded from a bullet in an assassination attempt, that he breakfasted on Valentine’s Meat Juice along with toast and poached egg to get better.

Mann S. Valentine Jr. shared his love of history with his brother Edward Virginius Valentine, who was a renowned sculptor. Mann laid the foundation for the museum in 1892; when he died in 1893, he provided the original bequest for the Valentine Museum, leaving his collection of art and artifacts and the 1812 Wickham House. The Valentine Museum was the first private museum in the City of Richmond and opened to the public in 1898. Edward Valentine served as the museum’s first president from the opening until his death in 1930. In his own will, he left an incredible collection of his sculpture, papers, furniture and memorabilia to the museum that still bears his family name.

Mann and his sons were all involved in the Valentine Meat Juice Company, which allowed for the entire family to prosper in class and fortune. During this time in the 1880s, the relationship between the civilized, illustrated by the machine, and the savage, represented by the American Indian, began to form from Darwin’s evolution theory. Post Civil War was also followed by an increase in anthropology and archeology, which helped this relationship and fascination to widely spread and flourish. The Valentine sons with their added time and income were able to excavate several Indian Mounds in Western Virginia and North Carolina to create their own collection of Indian artifacts. Among their collection, arrowheads, pottery, skeletons and stone implements became the bulk of the Valentine family private collection. Many of these arrowheads and American Indian inspired artifacts are available to view in the museum today.

The first major renovation and expansion of the museum occurred in 1928.

In 1948, the Board of Trustees added the subtitle to the Valentine Museum, “A Museum of the Life and History of Richmond.” However, in 1967, “A Museum of the Life of History of Richmond” was dropped, reflecting an expanded mission as a general museum. Also in 1948, The Friends of the Valentine Group was created, which was the basis for the museum’s membership program.

In the late 1970s, a major renovation and expansion was undertaken the Valentine Museum added a new wing to accommodate for more artifacts and display space for the public. The Row Houses that served as the primary museums space were renovated and expanded as well. The History Center during this time acquired the Davis House, which is used today as offices for staff members.

An 8-year restoration was completed in 1994 of the Wickham House, formally called the Wickham-Valentine House.

In August 2000, the History Center acquired Historic Richmond Tours from the Historic Richmond Foundation, thus increasing visibility and supporting the mission through history focused tour offerings of Richmond.

The museum initiated an identity change in October 2000 for the institution to better reflect its role within the community. With a reputation as Richmond’s history center, the name was changed to Valentine Richmond History Center.

Permanent Collection

The History Center has well over 1 million objects and 1 million photographs in its collections, serving as a major center for preservation and research on the City of Richmond.

• Edward V. Valentine Sculpture Studio: Edward V. Valentine (1838-1930), the brother of Mann S. Valentine Jr., was a prominent sculptor whose works include the Recumbent Lee statue at Washington & Lee University, and the statue of Thomas Jefferson at the Jefferson Hotel. His studio is one of only four surviving 19th century sculpture studios in the United States that is open to the public.

• Wickham House and Collections: The Wickham House built in 1812, was purchased by Mann S. Valentine Jr. and in 1898 became the first home of the Valentine Museum. Guided tours of this National Historic Landmark are available of the public first-floor rooms with neoclassical wall paintings, some of which are the original untouched designs. The second floor contains artifacts from the descendants of the family that first inhabited the house. There is also a self-guided tour of the basement, which examines the Wickham’s slaves’ private spheres in the house and in society.

• Settlement to Streetcar Suburbs: Richmond and Its People: This exhibit surveys three centuries of Richmond's history with artifacts, as well as a time line of Virginia History starting in 1606 with the Virginia Company of London, all the way to 1929 with the stock market crash.

• Creating History: The Valentine Family and the Museum: This exhibition explores the Valentine family’s collecting enterprises, Valentine’s Meat Juice, and ways in which the History Center’s interpretation of Richmond’s history has evolved.

• Signs of the Times: This collection of vintage signs all of which still work is from Richmond businesses over the years. In addition, other signs and artifacts are mounted outside the museum in the courtyard.

• Costumes and Textiles: The Costumes and Textile Collection, comprising about 40,000 pieces, enjoys an international reputation and is the largest collection of its kind in the South. Although the History Center's primary collecting concentration is objects related to Richmond, the costume and textile collection's focus is broader, including items worn, used, made or sold in Virginia from the 1600s to the present.The costume segment encompasses clothing and accessories worn by Virginians of diverse social groups and all ages, for both private and public occasions; a particular strength is its date range, from a 1668 christening dress to items worn this year. The textile holdings include important groups of 18th and 19th-century quilts and samplers, as well as a wide range of domestic textiles. Because of the size and scope of the collection, it is regarded as the unofficial costume and textile collection of Virginia. You'll see items from this collection in the Center's general history exhibitions and occasionally starring in their own temporary exhibitions, or you can make a date with history and arrange with a curator to see specific objects.

Rotating Exhibits

• The History Center has several rotating exhibits that include photographs, clothes and textiles and historical based exhibits that impacted Richmond in a significant way.

• On display through March 2012 is "Into Focus: Henrico Through the Camera," an exhibit that explores Henrico County’s history on the 400th anniversary of its founding, this photography exhibition includes images taken in Henrico from the 19th century to the present. Drawing upon the photograph collections of both the History Center and Henrico County, “Into Focus” chronicles how times have changed architectural and culturally throughout the county. Originally named Henricus, Henrico was settled by the Virginia Company in 1611, making it the second English settlement in North America. The exhibition documents the county’s five districts of Brookland, Fairfield, Three Chopt, Tuckahoe, and Varina and includes photographs from historic sites such the J.E.B Stuart Monument at Yellow Tavern.

• From October 2009 to March 2010 this included, “Please Enjoy the Show: Images of Richmond Theater,” exhibited photographs exploring Richmond’s 20th century theater community, examining playhouses and movie theaters, professional and amateur actors, and memorable events and personalities.

• The “Waste Not, Want Not: Richmond’s Great Depression, 1929-1941,” exhibition was on display from October 2009 until September 2010. It demonstrated life in Richmond during the Great Depression. In the midst of calamity, Richmond residents joined other Americans in an explosion of political, organizational and cultural creativity. Several important local businesses, organizations and cultural institutions were established during this period.

• In February 2011, the museum invited the public to submit original, creative captions for up to 100 random images from the History Center’s Richmond Times-Dispatch Collection. The winning captions appeared alongside their respective photos, along with the actual captions that ran in the Richmond newspapers. This exhibition was on display at the History Center and the Richmond Times-Dispatch until September 2011.

• In 2011, The Inaugural Gowns of Virginia’s First Ladies displayed nine gowns worn at inaugural balls or receptions held in honor of the new Virginia Governor. These evening dresses present a glimpse into the personal style of each woman and the fashion of the time. Fashion in the state Capitol has followed the major trends of the 20th century.

Programs

Richmond History Tours (formerly Historic Richmond Tours), a service of the Valentine Richmond History Center, offers a wide variety of guided tours that explore the rich and diverse history of the city. Guided walking tours, specialty bus tours, custom group and school tours and step-on guides are among the services offered by the History Center. The History Center offers over 350 tours each year.

In 1930, the school services program began with a reading room and a loan of children's books. Then in 1968, the Junior Center was chartered to provide educational and cultural experiences for all the children of Richmond. Today, the educational department at the History Center offers a wide range of programs that are compatible with the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) requirements. The History Center serves almost 25,000 children a year.

Other specialized programs are available, which include Scout programs, Adult programs and summer programs.

References

1. http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/sites/richmondhistorycenter.com/files/docs/RHC.TimeLineF11OL.pdf
2. http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/visit/hours-admission
3. http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/about/history-mission
4. http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/exhibitions/changing
5. http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/exhibitions/permanent/evv-sculpture-studio
6. http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/exhibitions/permanent/wickham-house
7. http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/exhibitions/permanent
8. http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/collections/costumes-textiles

External links

• Valentine Richmond History Center

Media related to Valentine Richmond History Center at Wikimedia Commons