VCU Libraries’ “Black Virginians, White Lenses: Images from the Cook Photograph Collection, Valentine Museum”

Assembled and provided by VCU Libraries’ Digital Collections, “Black Virginians, white lenses” is a selection of some 250 scanned images from the George and Huestis Cook Photograph Collection, housed in The Valentine Museum in Richmond, Virginia. George S. Cook (1819-1902) and Huestis P. Cook (1868-1951) were father and son, known for their extensive photographic documentation of Southern life. According to The Valentine’s Cook exhibition webpage, the family moved to Richmond in 1880, where George S. Cook opened a photography studio. The Cook Studio remained in operation until Huestis’ retirement in 1946.

“Baby Huestis Cook,” 1871. Cook Collection, Valentine Musuem. 

The Cook collection photographs chosen for “Black Virginians, white lenses” feature African Americans living in Richmond and other Central Virginia locations. This collection includes many portraits, as well as labor, school, and recreation scenes. 

“Most of these photographs, like others from this era, were posed or staged. They provide some insight into both Black life and white racist perceptions of that existence” [Text taken from VCU Libraries’ webpage on the collection].

This resource exhibits how photography may be used to perpetuate negative stereotypes or create a narrative around a subject. The pictures on the VCU Libraries’ webpage are captioned with the title of the photograph and some include an estimated date or location. Here are some of the images from the collection:

"Picnic in Bon Air, Virginia," 1880s, Cook Collection, Valentine Musuem.

"Man with Banjo," 1890s, Cook Collection, Valentine Musuem. 

"Boy with Watermelon on Doorstep," n.d., Cook Collection, Valentine Musuem. 

“Tobacco Factory: Drying Tobacco," 1920s, Cook Collection, Valentine Museum. 

Additional images from the Cook Collection centered around Richmond development and city life can be found on the Valentine webpage for their former exhibition, “Developing Richmond, Photographs from the Cook Studio”.​​ The Valentine’s full online database of the Cook Photograph Collection includes digitized images from the Cooks and affiliated Richmond photographers, in various locations in the American South circa 1861-circa 1930.

-- Gabrielle Dietrich, VCU undergraduate majoring in International Studies and French with a minor in History. She graduates in the Spring of 2024.