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Equal Suffrage League of Virginia

With the founding of the Equal Suffrage League (ESL) of Virginia in 1909, women in the commonwealth began lobbying for the right to vote. Lila Meade Valentine, as the first president of the league, traveled throughout the state to raise public awareness and build support for women’s suffrage. Other prominent participants included authors Ellen Glasgow and Mary Johnston, education activist Mary Munford, and artists Nora Houston and Adèle Clark. Women in Virginia gained the right to vote in 1920 with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It passed without Virginia’s support, and in 1952 the General Assembly officially adopted the amendment..

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Ambler and the Jeannette

On July 8, 1879, the steamer Jeannette set sail. It’s goal: to be the first expedition to reach the North Pole. Earlier that year, Dr. James Markham Marshall Ambler of the U.S. Navy received an offer to be one of the thirty-four crew members. Although many turned it down, the thirty-one-year-old Fauquier County native responded, “I respectfully ask to be sent.” His diary and a few of Ambler’s personal effects were given to his mother and later donated to the Virginia Historical Society. Take a closer look at items from Dr. Ambler and the Jeannette.

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Bookplates

The use of bookplates is almost as old as printing itself. They were used to record ownership and to reassure the owner that a borrowed book would be returned. The early designs were heraldic and engraved on copper, and then paper labels became a more popular and inexpensive choice. Various styles were used during certain periods, and this makes it possible to date most bookplates. Take a closer look at bookplates in the VHS collections.

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Letters to Santa

"I want an official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200 shot range model air rifle!" Ralphie from A Christmas Story

Perhaps you've seen A Christmas Story and remember Ralphie, a young boy in the 1940s, who asks for a BB gun for Christmas but is told by his parents, "You'll shoot your eye out, kid." Take a closer look at letters to Santa in the VHS collections.

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Duck and Cover: Civil Defense in Virginia in the 1950s

Air raid drills. Conelrad. Bomb shelters. Duck and cover. All of these were familiar terms to Americans in the Cold War culture of the 1950s. The future looked uncertain in the new Atomic Age, and there was growing tension between America and the Soviet Union. People lived with the threat of nuclear war as part of their daily lives. Learn more

Diaries

Do you remember the first time you swam in the ocean? What about the first movie you watched? In June 1895, eleven-year-old Sarah Evelyn Baylor and her family journeyed from Halifax County, Virginia, to Princess Anne, Virginia Beach, Virginia. This visit marked the second time young Sarah saw the ocean, but its beauty had not diminished. In her diary entry for June 11, 1895, she remarked, "It is beautiful to see the great waves come roaring up and then fall back in the great, great ocean. I think it is heavenly." Learn more

Valentines

February 14 has a long history as a day for friends and sweethearts to exchange tokens of affection. By the end of the eighteenth century, improvements in printing technology and lower postage rates made Valentines affordable, and ready-made cards began to compete with handwritten notes. Learn more

Advice and Etiquette books

A Book Every Body Should Possess. This simple statement highlights the importance placed on advice and etiquette books in the nineteenth century. How people learned to negotiate the social obligations and interactions was equally important in their struggle to improve their conditions. Learn more

Audubon's Viviparous Quadrapeds

Following the success of his Birds of America, John James Audubon began to gather material for an equally ambitious project to document the animal life of North America. The results of the artist-naturalist's years of research and field study was the Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. Learn more

John Carter of Mars

Edgar Rice Burroughs, best known as the creator of the Tarzan books, also wrote a popular science fiction series featuring the adventures of John Carter of Mars. The eleven books deal with the exploits of Captain Carter, a Confederate officer who left Virginia after the Civil War and headed west to prospect for gold. Learn more

Connecticut, The Sculpture at the Diamond

With the impending arrival of a new baseball team at Richmond's Diamond comes plans for the removal of Connecticut, the beloved mascot of the Richmond Braves. Records of the Best Products Company provide interesting insights into the history of this iconic sculpture. Learn more

Walter Washington Foster Glass Plate Negatives Collection

The VHS holds a treasure-trove of research sources such as the Walter Washington Foster glass plate negatives collection. Originally from Norfolk, Foster relocated to Richmond, where he worked in partnership with other photographers and eventually operated his own studio from the late 1870s to the mid-1930s. Learn more

Victory Gardens

First promoted during World War I, war gardening, or victory gardens, provided American citizens an opportunity to assist with the war effort. Americans were encouraged to produce their own food, planting vegetable gardens in their backyards, churchyards, city parks, and playgrounds. Learn more

Richmond in the Midst of the Civil War

In the earliest days of the war, few expected it to endure for four years. As the Confederate capital, Richmond experienced waves of change that saw the city lurch from the untidy influx of thousands of military personnel and government officials in 1861 to the fiery evacuation of the city by Confederate forces in 1865. Learn more

Mark Catesby (1682–1749)

The first accounts of the strange flora and fauna of the New World created a great demand among European scientists for more detailed information. In 1712 English naturalist Mark Catesby sailed to Virginia, where he observed the natural resources and gathered plant samples to send back home. Learn more

Christmas Cards

Christmas cards are ephemeral, and this essence is the very reason they can be of interest to researchers. Scholars studying seasonal imagery and traditions, trends in graphic design and print technology, even political and economic pressures can gain valuable insight from the brief, episodic life of Christmas cards. Learn more

College Football

For more than a century, when summer fades many Virginians have turned their thoughts—and their passions—to football. Although first popularized in the northeast as a version of English rugby, by the late 19th century many Southern colleges and universities had enthusiastically picked up the sport. Learn more

Cookbooks (Advertising)

Today's cook has many ways of finding a recipe—cookbooks, magazines, web sites. But not that long ago, cookbooks were scarce, and most recipes were not written down. By the twentieth century, there was a tremendous burst of interest in cooking as a variety of new processed foods became available. Learn more

Larus & Brother Advertisements

In 1877 a partnership between Charles D. Larus and Herbert C. Larus formed the Larus & Brother Company. This small tobacco company, based in Richmond, Virginia, received national recognition with Edgeworth pipe tobacco, which then became the international hallmark of the company. Learn more

Indian Tribes of North America

In the society's rare book collection, a remarkable compilation of images is found in History of the Indian Tribes of North America, by Thomas McKenney and James Hall. The volumes contain the historical background of various tribes, biographical sketches of Indian leaders, and lithographs of 120 Native Americans. Learn more

Elizabeth Keckley

Born a slave in Dinwiddie County, Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (1818–1907) purchased her freedom in 1855 and supported herself as a seamstress, first in St. Louis and then in Washington, D.C. Her skills brought her to the attention of Mary Todd Lincoln, who hired Keckley in 1861. Learn more

Fore-edge Painting

Rarely are books prized as objects of art; often the content of the text, or the plates accompanying the text, are regarded with higher intrinsic value than the construction of the book. Fore-edge paintings are unique embellishments to otherwise less significant, mass-produced bound books. Learn more

Duke Ellington at the Mosque

Late in his career, jazz great Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington composed three "Sacred Concerts," longer works made up of vocal and instrumental pieces stemming from a religious theme. During the 1968 series, Ellington performed in Richmond at the Mosque Auditorium (now, the Landmark Theater). Learn more

Political Sheet Music

Politicians have long appreciated the value of a campaign song during an election year. A popular tune can rally the crowd, convey the spirit of the candidate, or ridicule the opponent. With the rise of music publishing in the 19th century, many candidates realized that sheet music could be an effective form of advertising. Learn more

Diderot's Encyclopédie

Housed within the library collections of the VHS is a complete thirty-five volume set of Diderot's Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers. The Encyclopédie consists of 17 volumes plus 4 supplemental volumes of letterpress (text), 12 volumes of plates, and 2 volumes of tables. Learn more

Children's Manuscripts

Children's diaries, scrapbooks, and autograph books now compel historians' attention as they study the world of young people in decades past. Scholars can gain insights into family dynamics, the impact of large political events on children, and how children internalized the moral issues of the day. Learn more

The Henkel Press

In 1806, Ambrose and Solomon Henkel started one of the first German language presses in the South. The press began as an amateur operation in the home of their father, a prominent Lutheran minister. The first publications were crudely printed, but the brothers eventually became skilled printers. Learn more

Broadsides

Broadsides, or broadsheets, are items printed on one side of a sheet of paper and generally posted or distributed as advertisements or bulletins. An effective means of connecting people and conveying information, often broadsides reported newsworthy events or provided additional information or instructions. Learn more

Yearbooks

High school and college yearbooks offer more insights into a time and place than mere lists of students and snapshots. Social historians study youth culture through the clothes they wore, the clubs they formed, and the themes of the dances they attended. View select images from yearbooks in the VHS's collections. Learn more

The Virginia Company of London

The plan to colonize Virginia began in 1606 when a group of merchants formed the Virginia Company of London. James I gave the company a charter to all the land between present-day North Carolina and New York, and the company attracted hundreds of small investors to finance the first expeditions to Virginia. Learn more

Confederate Imprints

Items published in the Confederate States during the Civil War are known as Confederate imprints. With the onset of war, southern publishers were in high demand. Enterprising publishers in such cities as Richmond capitalized on the growing market. Learn more

Freedmen's Schools

In the antebellum South, African Americans were generally prevented from receiving education. During the Civil War, African Americans and northern missionaries established schools in Union-occupied territories. After Appomattox, freedpeople flocked to newly founded schools. Learn more

Liberated Books

During the Civil War, looting by soldiers on both sides was a common practice. The hungry soldier usually confiscated food and livestock, but sometimes he carried off personal items, such as books. The VHS has a small collection of books "captured" by Union soldiers and carried off to "freedom." Learn more