EXHIBITIONS BY TOPIC

African Americans

• 

  Freeing Art From Wood: The Sculpture of Leslie Garland Bolling
  (July 24, 2006—October 21, 2006)

  Through timing, perseverance, and sheer good fortune, Leslie Garland Bolling (1898–1955) captured the attention and imagination of the art public from 1926 to 1943 with more than eighty portrait busts and sculptures of working people and nude figures. He faced obstacles: he was African American, he was self–taught, and he lived in the segregated South. The web exhibition includes descriptions and, where available, illustrations of works discovered after the physical exhibition closed. The catalog, Freeing Art from Wood, is available from the Virginia Shop.

• 

  Brown v. Board of Education: Virginia Responds
  (December 29, 2003—July 31, 2004)

  Marking the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down segregation in school, Brown v. Board of Education explored Virginia's reaction to the ruling through the letters and petitions of individual citizens and organizations sent to elected officials and through the adoption of the policy of "Massive Resistance."

• 

  Death or Liberty: Gabriel, Nat Turner, and John Brown
  (January 10, 2000—November 8, 2000)

  Drawing from the archival collections at the Library, Death or Liberty explored three dramatic events in Virginia that focused America's attention on the problem of slavery: Gabriel's Conspiracy in 1800, Nat Turner's Rebellion in Southampton County in 1831, and John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. Examine the documents online.

• 

  The Land We Live In, The Land We Left
  (January 11, 2010—October 30, 2010)

  The Land We Live In, The Land We Left explores over 400 years of immigration to Virginia—the people drawn here and brought here—sometimes against their will—and the traditions and customs of their homelands that came with them, helping to shape both their communities and the commonwealth.

• 

  Union or Secession
  (December 6, 2010—October 29, 2011)

  What were Virginians thinking and discussing as the first Southern states withdrew from the United States following the election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860? Why was Virginia’s decision critical to America’s fate in 1861 and key to the ultimate course and outcome of the sectional crisis?
  Virginia was central to American identity for its role in the founding of the United States and its political principles. Both the Confederacy and the Union wanted to claim Virginia’s historical legacy. Union or Secession explores what Virginians thought and debated as the crisis unfolded. Explore the choices Virginians faced as they decided their fate and the lasting consequences of their decisions for Virginia and the nation.

Art and Architecture

• 

  Never Built Virginia
  (January 11, 2008—January 26, 2008)

  From Thomas Jefferson's design of the Virginia State Capitol to Northern Virginia's soaring post-modern structures of glass and steel, the commonwealth's architectural triumphs are well-documented. But what of those that never made it beyond the drawing board? Never Built Virginia explored a variety of proposed architectural projects from around the commonwealth that remained unbuilt because the architecture was too radical, because funding collapsed, or because they lost favor with their patrons.

• 

  Freeing Art From Wood: The Sculpture of Leslie Garland Bolling
  (July 24, 2006—October 21, 2006)

  Through timing, perseverance, and sheer good fortune, Leslie Garland Bolling (1898–1955) captured the attention and imagination of the art public from 1926 to 1943 with more than eighty portrait busts and sculptures of working people and nude figures. He faced obstacles: he was African American, he was self–taught, and he lived in the segregated South. The web exhibition includes descriptions and, where available, illustrations of works discovered after the physical exhibition closed. The catalog, Freeing Art from Wood, is available from the Virginia Shop.

• 

  Legacies of the New Deal in Virginia
  (April 14, 2003—December 6, 2003)

  Legacies of the New Deal in Virginia offered overviews of two major components of Roosevelt's New Deal—the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Work Projects Administration—whose achievements continue to enrich our lives. New Deal-related collections at the Library that were highlighted in the exhibition are still available in genealogical, historical, sociological, and cultural research.

• 

  Jefferson and the Capitol of Virginia
  (January 7, 2002—June 15, 2002)

  Jefferson & The Capitol of Virginia examined how Jefferson, the founder of monumental civic architecture, began his achievements in civic design with the Virginia State Capitol in which he united the lofty principles and grand scale of the Classical tradition with established Virginia customs.

• 

  Block. Ink. Paper. The Prints of J.J. Lankes and Charles W. Smith
  (June 4, 2001—December 1, 2001)

  In the 1930s, New York-born Julius John Lankes and Virginian Charles William Smith both worked in woodcut, an old style of printmaking, and in Virginia. Explore how these two artists created different views of Virginia in the same medium.

• 

  Father and Son: The Works of John Gadsby Chapman and Conrad Wise Chapman
  (October 16, 1998—March 22, 1999)

  Father and Son: The Works of John Gadsby Chapman and Conrad Wise Chapman presented more than one hundred sketches, watercolors, engravings, and oils by these two Virginia artists for the first time since the 1960s. The exhibition consisted of three sections: John Gadsby Chapman's work as a leading illustrator in the 1830s and 1840s; scenes of Italy and France by both Chapmans; and oils and watercolors of Mexico by Conrad Wise Chapman.

• 

  American Letterpress: The Art of Hatch Show Print
  (December 5, 2011—February 4, 2012)

  Exhibition: December 5, 2011 — February 4, 2012 "Advertising without posters is like fishing without worms."
  — The Hatch Brothers This sentiment was certainly true in 1879 when brothers Herbert H. and Charles R. Hatch opened Hatch Show Print, a printing shop in Nashville, Tennessee. Their handcrafted posters screamed slogans such as "More Power, More Pep," "So Many Girls You Can't Count Them All," and "Always Clean, Always Good." Almost 130 years later, Hatch posters hold their own, offering a stirring and refreshingly tactile contrast to the digital advertising world. The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in partnership with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum celebrates this time-honored graphic art tradition. American Letterpress: The Art of Hatch Show Print opened at the Experience Music Project in Seattle on Oct. 11, 2008, and has traveled to additional museums over the last few years, including the Austin Museum of Art (Texas), Tulane University's Newcomb Art Gallery in New Orleans, and the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens.

Legal

• 

  Union or Secession
  (December 6, 2010—October 29, 2011)

  What were Virginians thinking and discussing as the first Southern states withdrew from the United States following the election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860? Why was Virginia’s decision critical to America’s fate in 1861 and key to the ultimate course and outcome of the sectional crisis?
  Virginia was central to American identity for its role in the founding of the United States and its political principles. Both the Confederacy and the Union wanted to claim Virginia’s historical legacy. Union or Secession explores what Virginians thought and debated as the crisis unfolded. Explore the choices Virginians faced as they decided their fate and the lasting consequences of their decisions for Virginia and the nation.

Civil Rights

• 

  Freeing Art From Wood: The Sculpture of Leslie Garland Bolling
  (July 24, 2006—October 21, 2006)

  Through timing, perseverance, and sheer good fortune, Leslie Garland Bolling (1898–1955) captured the attention and imagination of the art public from 1926 to 1943 with more than eighty portrait busts and sculptures of working people and nude figures. He faced obstacles: he was African American, he was self–taught, and he lived in the segregated South. The web exhibition includes descriptions and, where available, illustrations of works discovered after the physical exhibition closed. The catalog, Freeing Art from Wood, is available from the Virginia Shop.

• 

  Brown v. Board of Education: Virginia Responds
  (December 29, 2003—July 31, 2004)

  Marking the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down segregation in school, Brown v. Board of Education explored Virginia's reaction to the ruling through the letters and petitions of individual citizens and organizations sent to elected officials and through the adoption of the policy of "Massive Resistance."

Education

• 

  Virginia Library Association: Honoring the Past, Building Our Future; One Hundred Years of the Virginia Library Association
  (December 4, 2004—March 15, 2005)

  Learn more about the Virginia Library Association (VLA) which has developed, promoted, and improved library and information services and the profession of librarianship to advance literacy and learning and to ensure access to information for all Virginians.

• 

  Brown v. Board of Education: Virginia Responds
  (December 29, 2003—July 31, 2004)

  Marking the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down segregation in school, Brown v. Board of Education explored Virginia's reaction to the ruling through the letters and petitions of individual citizens and organizations sent to elected officials and through the adoption of the policy of "Massive Resistance."

Geography and Exploration

• 

  From Williamsburg to Wills's Creek: The Fry-Jefferson Map
  (August 18, 2008—May 30, 2009)

  This exhibition focuses on the sources and sequels of the Fry–Jefferson map, created by Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson in 1755. The exhibition examines the role of surveyors in colonial Virginia, the importance of the surveying experience for Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson in creating their important map, and the influence of their map on later cartographic representations of Virginia. The published map included Fry and Jefferson's completed border survey for the western bounds of the Northern Neck and the dividing line between Virginia and North Carolina. For the first time the entire Virginia river system was properly delineated, and the northeast-southwest orientation of the Appalachian Mountains was displayed.

• 

  Myth and Memory: Understanding 400 Years of Virginia History
  (January 8, 2007—January 15, 2007)

  Myth and Memory: Understanding Four Hundred Years of Virginia History examined how Virginians have remembered their past through public events, through writing about history, and through marking history on the landscape. Because Virginians are peculiarly interested in, and contentious about, their past, their historical memory often results in competing interpretations.

• 

  Maps, Charts & Atlases
  (March 1, 2004—July 3, 2004)

  Maps, Charts & Atlases honored the dedication and devotion of Alan M. Voorhees to the collection, preservation, and study of cartographic materials. An avid collector, Mr. Voorhees donated to the Library of Virginia maps that focus on the exploration of the Chesapeake Bay area and the development of Virginia within the context of both European and American history. The cultural perceptions, political aspirations, and extent of geographical knowledge of those who created these maps and atlases are evident in the lavish cartouches, or title areas, and the illustrations and land claims, many with bright hand-coloring. These maps are available for research use in the Library of Virginia's Nathalie P. Voorhees Map Room.

• 

  Virginia's Coal Towns
  (March 30, 2001—October 27, 2001)

  Through images and documents, Virginia's Coal Towns explored the history of coal as a significant part of Virginia's economy, as well as the lives of the miners, who spent so much time underground in dangerous, dirty jobs, and their families.

• 

  Mapping Virginia
  (April 23, 1999—December 15, 1999)

  Mapping Virginia offered a sampling of the many kinds of maps created by and for Virginians in the past 400 years. The history of cartography in Virginia reflects the pivotal role of the Old Dominion as a leader in much of the political, military, and economic history of the United States. In a rapidly changing society property ownership, political boundaries, economic resources, and the environment were best understood through the mapmaker's craft. Virginia in Maps, published in 1999 and the basis for the exhibition, is available from the Virginia Shop.

• 

  The Land We Live In, The Land We Left
  (January 11, 2010—October 30, 2010)

  The Land We Live In, The Land We Left explores over 400 years of immigration to Virginia—the people drawn here and brought here—sometimes against their will—and the traditions and customs of their homelands that came with them, helping to shape both their communities and the commonwealth.

Literature and Music

• 

  Radio in Virginia
  (December 1, 2003—July 17, 2004)

  Radio in Virginia used the WRVA collection to explore the rise of radio in the Commonwealth. Established in 1925, WRVA was one of the earliest radio stations in Virginia. Listen to sample recordings from the Library's WRVA collection.

• 

  Virginia Roots Music: Creating and Conserving Tradition
  (July 8, 2002—March 22, 2003)

  Virginia Roots Music: Creating and Conserving Tradition explored the collecting and recording of Virginia music in the two decades before World War II. That music formed the bedrock of the country, blues, and gospel music traditions that exist today. Both the collectors and the recorders responded to fundamental changes in the economy, technology, and society of America and the South as phonographs and radio began to spread traditional musical forms to a wider audience. Listen to sound files of these early recordings of Virginia's music.

• 

  Poe: Man, Myth, or Monster?
  (July 20, 2009—December 5, 2009)

  Who is Edgar Allan Poe? An instantly recognizable American author and historical figure, his name calls to mind spine-chilling stories and melancholy poetry. He evokes the image of the tragic romantic poet, misunderstood and rejected by society. We are so familiar with his life and work that we already know him. Or do we?

• 

  The Land We Live In, The Land We Left
  (January 11, 2010—October 30, 2010)

  The Land We Live In, The Land We Left explores over 400 years of immigration to Virginia—the people drawn here and brought here—sometimes against their will—and the traditions and customs of their homelands that came with them, helping to shape both their communities and the commonwealth.

Military History

• 

  Union or Secession
  (December 6, 2010—October 29, 2011)

  What were Virginians thinking and discussing as the first Southern states withdrew from the United States following the election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860? Why was Virginia’s decision critical to America’s fate in 1861 and key to the ultimate course and outcome of the sectional crisis?
  Virginia was central to American identity for its role in the founding of the United States and its political principles. Both the Confederacy and the Union wanted to claim Virginia’s historical legacy. Union or Secession explores what Virginians thought and debated as the crisis unfolded. Explore the choices Virginians faced as they decided their fate and the lasting consequences of their decisions for Virginia and the nation.

Politics

• 

  Working Out Her Destiny: Women's History in Virginia
  (August 2, 2004—March 26, 2005)

  Working Out Her Destiny: Women's History in Virginia, 1600-2004 took a fresh look at the history of Virginia's women and the history of Virginia in the light of twenty years of innovative scholarship since the 1984-1985 Virginia Women's Cultural History Project presented the first ever exhibition and book on Virginia women's history, "'A Share of Honour,' Virginia Women 1600-1945."

• 

  Legacies of the New Deal in Virginia
  (April 14, 2003—December 6, 2003)

  Legacies of the New Deal in Virginia offered overviews of two major components of Roosevelt's New Deal—the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Work Projects Administration—whose achievements continue to enrich our lives. New Deal-related collections at the Library that were highlighted in the exhibition are still available in genealogical, historical, sociological, and cultural research.

• 

  Taking Office: Inaugurations of Virginia's Governors
  (October 29, 2001—June 22, 2002)

  Taking Office: Inaugurations of Virginia's Governors documents how the gubernatorial inauguration has evolved from a quiet ceremony to a public event.

• 

  John Marshall
  (January 8, 2001—March 31, 2001)

  Marking the 200th anniversary of his becoming the fourth chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, the exhibition John Marshall highlighted the life of Marshall (1755–1838).

• 

  Death or Liberty: Gabriel, Nat Turner, and John Brown
  (January 10, 2000—November 8, 2000)

  Drawing from the archival collections at the Library, Death or Liberty explored three dramatic events in Virginia that focused America's attention on the problem of slavery: Gabriel's Conspiracy in 1800, Nat Turner's Rebellion in Southampton County in 1831, and John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. Examine the documents online.

• 

  "A full vote, a free ballot, and a fair count": Political Life in Virginia
  (January 10, 2000—November 13, 2000)

  "A full vote, a free ballot and a fair count" examined key events and issues in Virginia's political history and charted the gradual enlargement of the franchise. Since the founding of Jamestown in 1607, political life in Virginia has undergone many changes that have often involved debates about who could vote and who could not.

• 

  The Land We Live In, The Land We Left
  (January 11, 2010—October 30, 2010)

  The Land We Live In, The Land We Left explores over 400 years of immigration to Virginia—the people drawn here and brought here—sometimes against their will—and the traditions and customs of their homelands that came with them, helping to shape both their communities and the commonwealth.

• 

  Union or Secession
  (December 6, 2010—October 29, 2011)

  What were Virginians thinking and discussing as the first Southern states withdrew from the United States following the election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860? Why was Virginia’s decision critical to America’s fate in 1861 and key to the ultimate course and outcome of the sectional crisis?
  Virginia was central to American identity for its role in the founding of the United States and its political principles. Both the Confederacy and the Union wanted to claim Virginia’s historical legacy. Union or Secession explores what Virginians thought and debated as the crisis unfolded. Explore the choices Virginians faced as they decided their fate and the lasting consequences of their decisions for Virginia and the nation.

Popular Culture

• 

  Radio in Virginia
  (December 1, 2003—July 17, 2004)

  Radio in Virginia used the WRVA collection to explore the rise of radio in the Commonwealth. Established in 1925, WRVA was one of the earliest radio stations in Virginia. Listen to sample recordings from the Library's WRVA collection.

• 

  Virginia Roots Music: Creating and Conserving Tradition
  (July 8, 2002—March 22, 2003)

  Virginia Roots Music: Creating and Conserving Tradition explored the collecting and recording of Virginia music in the two decades before World War II. That music formed the bedrock of the country, blues, and gospel music traditions that exist today. Both the collectors and the recorders responded to fundamental changes in the economy, technology, and society of America and the South as phonographs and radio began to spread traditional musical forms to a wider audience. Listen to sound files of these early recordings of Virginia's music.

• 

  Poe: Man, Myth, or Monster?
  (July 20, 2009—December 5, 2009)

  Who is Edgar Allan Poe? An instantly recognizable American author and historical figure, his name calls to mind spine-chilling stories and melancholy poetry. He evokes the image of the tragic romantic poet, misunderstood and rejected by society. We are so familiar with his life and work that we already know him. Or do we?

• 

  American Letterpress: The Art of Hatch Show Print
  (December 5, 2011—February 4, 2012)

  Exhibition: December 5, 2011 — February 4, 2012 "Advertising without posters is like fishing without worms."
  — The Hatch Brothers This sentiment was certainly true in 1879 when brothers Herbert H. and Charles R. Hatch opened Hatch Show Print, a printing shop in Nashville, Tennessee. Their handcrafted posters screamed slogans such as "More Power, More Pep," "So Many Girls You Can't Count Them All," and "Always Clean, Always Good." Almost 130 years later, Hatch posters hold their own, offering a stirring and refreshingly tactile contrast to the digital advertising world. The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in partnership with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum celebrates this time-honored graphic art tradition. American Letterpress: The Art of Hatch Show Print opened at the Experience Music Project in Seattle on Oct. 11, 2008, and has traveled to additional museums over the last few years, including the Austin Museum of Art (Texas), Tulane University's Newcomb Art Gallery in New Orleans, and the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens.

• 

  Lost & Found
  (February 27, 2012—August 25, 2012)

  Fading black-and-white photographs and yellowing handwritten letters in a safe deposit box. The records of a historic African American business found in a dumpster. The conscious decision to destroy private papers. The destruction of archives by chance and nature. All illustrate what we collect and value in our cultural landscape.

  Lost and Found, a new exhibition opening at the Library of Virginia on February 27, examines the constantly changing fabric of our world. Things disappear, sometimes almost without notice-signs, buildings, even towns-and others go into attics, basements, and landfills. Some are saved and carefully stored and preserved; others intentionally destroyed, sometimes dramatically.

  Most of us collect something-baseball cards or autographs, books or family mementos. Many of us create scrapbooks that reflect our personal interests. Lost and Found showcases the personal and the professional, the ephemeral and the profound, examples of personal collections, scrapbooks, and time capsules. It tells large stories and small ones. The exhibition highlights items in the Library's vast collections that offer intriguing glimpses into our past and show the promise of new endeavors such as the Civil War 150 Legacy Project in garnering greater insight into our shared history.

  Lost and Found runs through August 25, 2012, and is free and open to the public Monday through Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, excluding state holidays.

• 

  The Importance of Being Cute: Pet Photography in Virginia 1840-2013
  (June 10, 2013—February 22, 2014)

  Whether they bark, meow, chirp, squeak, or hiss, pets are an important part of their owner's lives and increasingly recognized as full-fledged family members. "The Importance of Being Cute: Pet Photography in Virginia" is an exhibition of more than one hundred historic and contemporary photographs exploring the complex and multi-faceted relationships that have existed between Virginians and their animals since the advent of photography.

  One of the remarkable aspects of the rapid spread of photographic portraiture is how soon and how often people brought animals, particularly dogs, into studios to have likenesses made. These early photographs not only document the practice of pet keeping but suggest a great deal about the range of relationships between people and their pets. By the 1890s, when photography was simplified enough to become an amateur pastime, owners began to document pets in both ordinary activities and more humorous situations. It was a short leap from those amusing early pet snapshots to I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER and other popular online pet photo sharing sites.

  Think your pet is cute? Of course you do! Add your pet's photo to our exhibit by emailing it to importnaceofcute@gmail.com For additional online content, please visit our Pinterest page (http://pinterest.com/libraryofva/).

Transportation

• 

  The Land We Live In, The Land We Left
  (January 11, 2010—October 30, 2010)

  The Land We Live In, The Land We Left explores over 400 years of immigration to Virginia—the people drawn here and brought here—sometimes against their will—and the traditions and customs of their homelands that came with them, helping to shape both their communities and the commonwealth.

Women

• 

  Queen and Commonwealth
  (Online Exhibition)

  On October 16, 1957, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited Virginia during the commonwealth's 350th anniversary celebration of the founding of Jamestown. Then, as now, the Queen's visit prompted intense interest from the state's people and the media. To mark the 2007 royal visit, the Library of Virginia presented photographs, audio, newspaper accounts, and state records from the 1957 events.

• 

  Working Out Her Destiny: Women's History in Virginia
  (August 2, 2004—March 26, 2005)

  Working Out Her Destiny: Women's History in Virginia, 1600-2004 took a fresh look at the history of Virginia's women and the history of Virginia in the light of twenty years of innovative scholarship since the 1984-1985 Virginia Women's Cultural History Project presented the first ever exhibition and book on Virginia women's history, "'A Share of Honour,' Virginia Women 1600-1945."

• 

  Union or Secession
  (December 6, 2010—October 29, 2011)

  What were Virginians thinking and discussing as the first Southern states withdrew from the United States following the election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860? Why was Virginia’s decision critical to America’s fate in 1861 and key to the ultimate course and outcome of the sectional crisis?
  Virginia was central to American identity for its role in the founding of the United States and its political principles. Both the Confederacy and the Union wanted to claim Virginia’s historical legacy. Union or Secession explores what Virginians thought and debated as the crisis unfolded. Explore the choices Virginians faced as they decided their fate and the lasting consequences of their decisions for Virginia and the nation.

Virginiana

• 

  Pleasure in the Garden: A Landscape Exhibit at the Library of Virginia
  (December 6, 2000—May 12, 2001)

  Pleasure in the Garden explored Virginia's history of gardening. Vegetable garden, flower garden, orchard, kitchen garden, pleasure garden-Virginians tilled and planted a variety of gardens from the beginning of settlement. Gardens not only provided food but also offered pleasing and colorful vistas as well as places for leisure. At the heart of gardening and landscape design was a desire to impose order on the landscape.

• 

  The Common Wealth: Treasures from the Collection of the Library of Virginia
  (September 4, 1997—September 19, 1998)

  This inaugural exhibition at the Library of Virginia's new headquarters on East Broad Street featured a small sampling of the vast collections at the Library. Since its founding in 1823, the Library of Virginia has been dedicated to the collection and preservation of the records of our commonwealth. The Library's collections span nearly 400 years of history and include a diversity of materials unmatched by any other institution in the United States. The Common Wealth: Treasures from the Collections of the Library of Virginia, a companion book complete with a history of the Library and illustrating more examples from the collections, is available from the Virginia Shop.

• 

  Lost & Found
  (February 27, 2012—August 25, 2012)

  Fading black-and-white photographs and yellowing handwritten letters in a safe deposit box. The records of a historic African American business found in a dumpster. The conscious decision to destroy private papers. The destruction of archives by chance and nature. All illustrate what we collect and value in our cultural landscape.

  Lost and Found, a new exhibition opening at the Library of Virginia on February 27, examines the constantly changing fabric of our world. Things disappear, sometimes almost without notice-signs, buildings, even towns-and others go into attics, basements, and landfills. Some are saved and carefully stored and preserved; others intentionally destroyed, sometimes dramatically.

  Most of us collect something-baseball cards or autographs, books or family mementos. Many of us create scrapbooks that reflect our personal interests. Lost and Found showcases the personal and the professional, the ephemeral and the profound, examples of personal collections, scrapbooks, and time capsules. It tells large stories and small ones. The exhibition highlights items in the Library's vast collections that offer intriguing glimpses into our past and show the promise of new endeavors such as the Civil War 150 Legacy Project in garnering greater insight into our shared history.

  Lost and Found runs through August 25, 2012, and is free and open to the public Monday through Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, excluding state holidays.

• 

  The Importance of Being Cute: Pet Photography in Virginia 1840-2013
  (June 10, 2013—February 22, 2014)

  Whether they bark, meow, chirp, squeak, or hiss, pets are an important part of their owner's lives and increasingly recognized as full-fledged family members. "The Importance of Being Cute: Pet Photography in Virginia" is an exhibition of more than one hundred historic and contemporary photographs exploring the complex and multi-faceted relationships that have existed between Virginians and their animals since the advent of photography.

  One of the remarkable aspects of the rapid spread of photographic portraiture is how soon and how often people brought animals, particularly dogs, into studios to have likenesses made. These early photographs not only document the practice of pet keeping but suggest a great deal about the range of relationships between people and their pets. By the 1890s, when photography was simplified enough to become an amateur pastime, owners began to document pets in both ordinary activities and more humorous situations. It was a short leap from those amusing early pet snapshots to I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER and other popular online pet photo sharing sites.

  Think your pet is cute? Of course you do! Add your pet's photo to our exhibit by emailing it to importnaceofcute@gmail.com For additional online content, please visit our Pinterest page (http://pinterest.com/libraryofva/).