“Rarely Seen Richmond” is a VCU Libraries digital collection containing over 600 postcard images from early-20th century Richmond. These pictures were scanned by The Shockoe Examiner’s Ray Bonis from the postcards housed in the James Cabell Library Special Collections and Archives. According to Bonis, the collection has been met with considerable positive feedback over the years from the Greater Richmond community, and the Archives have received many requests for the use of the high-definition scans for decorations, books, and presentations. More information on the history of this collection can be found in this 2013 VCU Blogs post.
Most of the cards in the collection date from 1900-1930 and many were colorized from original black and white photographs. According to the “Rarely Seen Richmond '' webpage, an estimated number of total Richmond, Virginia postcard views is placed at 2,000!
Capitol and Washington Monument, Richmond, VA; Postmarked 1911
A great deal of the sights featured on the cards look vastly different from what they do today- or no longer exist at all. This collection serves as a valuable resource for preserving the memory of early-20th century Richmond. Most of the postcards feature buildings, monuments and parks- showcasing the architecture and aesthetics of the city. These images also give insight into dominating social attitudes from the city at the time such as the renown for Confederate monuments and history, as well as the emphasis on booming business and infrastructure. On the collection’s webpage, some of the postcard images have additional notes included in the “full description” tab such as: postmark date, donor, or the text on the card. Here are some images from the collection:
Jefferson Hotel, Franklin Street, Richmond VA
L&M, Chesterfield, and Lark cigarette factory [no title]
East Broad Street, Richmond, VA
Monument Avenue and Lee
Monument, Richmond, VA
For more information on postcard history in Virginia and the United States visit:
- The “Rarely Seen Richmond” collection webpage
- “The Art of the View: Picture Postcards of Virginia, 1900-1925” by Kelly Henderson in Virginia Cavalcade (pp. 66-73)
-
“Postcard History” The Smithsonian Archives
- Gabrielle Dietrich, VCU undergraduate majoring in International Studies and French with a minor in History. She graduates in the Spring of 2024.
2 comments:
Thank you for posting these vibrant images. It’s so strange to see how the modern city fabric has become less colorful and more separated than ever. Whenever you have a chance, may you search for a snapshot of one part of Richmond I’ve never seen? It’s the buildings on the corner of 13th and Main between Exchange Place and the Powers-Taylor building. Thanks again.
Hi!
Apologies for the delayed response. I searched through the "Rarely Seen Richmond" postcard collection and could not find the set of buildings you were looking for; however, I did find this photo from 1975 of the 1300 Block of East Main St. It looks like the building on the far right of the image may be what used to stand on that corner of 13th and East Main, which is a parking lot today. Here is the link to the image in the Richmond Commission of Architectural Review Slide Collection from VCU Libraries: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/rca/6577/
For more archival images of Richmond, we suggest contacting the Valentine Museum to see if they have any pictures of the buildings you are looking for! https://thevalentine.org/learn-and-research/research/#submit-a-research-question
- Gabrielle
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