The Valentine is a Richmond, Virginia, museum dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting Richmond’s history. It was founded by Mann S. Valentine II in 1898 and was the first museum in Richmond.
In the early 21st century, The Valentine offers rotating exhibitions, walking tours, programs, special events, research opportunities, and more to engage, educate and challenge a diverse audience. Valentine also includes the Wickham House, a National Historic Landmark.
History
The funds for the museum were provided by Mann S. Valentine II, who made his fortune with Valentine’s Meat Juice, a health tonic made from beef juice invented as early as 1870. Mann and his sons earned their fortune from the Valentine Meat Juice Company. During the late 19th century, the Valentines began to collect in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, fine arts, and decorative arts. His sons conducted excavations of Native American earthwork mounds in former Cherokee towns in western North Carolina in their hunt for artifacts. Unfortunately, they did considerable damage to the mounds.
Permanent Exhibition
The Valentine’s permanent exhibition, entitled This is Richmond, Virginia, is on display on the main level. It tells the story of Virginia’s Capital City according to five distinct themes. The objects on display are a part of The Valentine’s extensive collection; they help express diverse personal stories to tell the larger history of this ever-evolving region. Bed Bug Exterminator Richmond
Rotating Exhibitions
Valentine has several rotating exhibitions that include photographs, clothes, and textiles, and historically based exhibits on issues that affected Richmond in a significant way.
- A History of Richmond in 50 Objects opened on February 14, 2014, in the Massey Gallery on the museum’s main floor.
- History Ink: The Tattoo Archive Project ran from November 2, 2012, to March 31, 2013; it focused on the rising popularity of tattoos in American culture and locally in Richmond.
- 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 February 2011, the museum invited the public to submit original captions for up to 100 random images from The Valentine’s Richmond Times-Dispatch Collection. The winning captions appeared alongside the respective photos and the actual captions that ran in the Richmond newspapers. This exhibition was displayed at The Valentine 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.
Address: 1015 E Clay St, Richmond, VA
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