Historic Images found in Richmond Magazine.

 

Richmond Magazine, Special Collector's Edition:

The Complete Sourcebook

 Just published.

This annual Sourcebook edition of Richmond Magazine contains numerous historic images from several area repositories and private collections. The magazine includes four images selected by three Shockoe Examiner contributors who were asked to share with the magazine what they considered their "favorite historic" Richmond image. The images chosen by Ray Bonis, Edward Ragan, and Selden Richardson are all quite different. An abbreviated online version spotlighting those images and a few others can be accessed HERE - but we suggest you pick up a copy of the magazine for the longer, more complete remarks about the images by Bonis, Ragan, and Richardson.

The images of the newsboys taken by Lewis Hines in June of 1911 seen on the cover of the magazine will be discussed in a longer  blog entry to be posted later this month.

L.H. Jenkins book bindery building, 2201 W. Broad St., 1930

The L.H. Jenkins book bindery building as it appeared in

Richmond Magazine, March, 1930. Drawing by Charles W Smith. 

(click for larger view)

The L.H. Jenkins bookbinder building was completed in 1922 with the right wing addition designed by Richmond architect Charles M. Robinson. The main building on the left was completed in 1902. The bindery building stands at 2201 W. Broad Street. The L.H. Jenkins firm was begun ca. 1900 - he had been in the business for almost two decades prior to that. The image of Luther Howard Jenkins (1856-1935?) and the original factory (seen below) are from Richmond, City on the James: The Book of its Chamber of Commerce and Principal Business Interests, published 1902-3 and found on Google Books. In the early 1980s the building was converted to office space. Numerous businesses are now located in this building. The hard working staff of Richmond Magazine (the current incarnation) also work out of this building, including some guy with a hat.

Images from Richmond, City on the James: The Book of its Chamber of Commerce and Principal Business Interests, published 1902-3 and found on Google Books.

The Prestwould Apartment building, 612 W. Franklin St., image by Charles W. Smith, from Richmond Magazine, December, 1928.

The Prestwould Apartment building, 612 W. Franklin St.,
image by Charles W. Smith, from the Richmond Magazine, December, 1928.
Click for larger view.

We haven't posted in a while so here's a quick one of a great looking print of a building you may know. The Prestwould, built in 1927, was designed by English architect Alfred C. Bossom (1881-1965) whose offices were based in New York. The building stands at 612 W. Franklin St. opposite Monroe Park. Bossom designed several Richmond buildings, including Monroe Terrace Apartments (now VCU's Johnson Hall), built in 1912; the Virginia Trust Building, 821 E. Main St., built 1919; and the First National Bank Building, located at the corner of 9th and Main St., built 1911-1913.

We did an earlier entry on Smith and Richmond Magazine.

Richmond Magazine was published monthly by the Richmond Chamber of Commerce from 1914 through 1933. Many of the magazine's cover illustrations in the late 1920s and early 1930s were provided by Virginia artist and educator Charles W. Smith (1893-1987).

Smith was a graduate of the Corcoran Art School and of Yale’s School of Fine Art. After teaching at the University of Virginia and in New York, Smith moved to Richmond to work for the printing firm Whittet & Shepperson. In 1927 he was the first professional artist to be hired by the Richmond School of Social Work and Public Health (later Richmond Professional Institute and now VCU) to teach art. This occurred a year before a full time art program was developed by Theresa Pollak (1899-2002). Smith became chair of the art department at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont in 1936. In 1947 until his retirement in 1963 he taught art and chaired the art department at the University of Virginia. He died in Charlottesville in 1987.

- Ray B.

Charles W. Smith and Richmond Magazine.

The April 1929 issue of Richmond Magazine featured the work of Charles W. Smith (1893-1987). The image is that of the headquarters of the National Pepsi-Cola Corporation, 1224 W. Broad Street in Richmond. The 1920s era building housed the fledgling Pepsi-Cola company from 1923 until 1931. The building would later house the Jack Thompson Furniture Company. In 1998 it was demolished by VCU to make way for its Sports Medicine Building which opened in July of 2001.

Richmond Magazine was published monthly by the Richmond Chamber of Commerce from 1914 through 1933. Many of the magazine's cover illustrations in the late 1920s and early 1930s were provided by Virginia artist and educator Charles W. Smith (1893-1987). Eight of his cover illustrations are currently featured in an exhibit in the Special Collections and Archives department at VCU's James Branch Cabell Library. Two of those covers are shown here.

Smith was a graduate of the Corcoran Art School and of Yale’s School of Fine Art. After teaching at the University of Virginia and in New York, Smith moved to Richmond to work for the printing firm Whittet & Shepperson. In 1927 he was the first professional artist to be hired by the Richmond School of Social Work and Public Health (later Richmond Professional Institute and now VCU) to teach art. This occurred a year before a full time art program was developed by Theresa Pollak (1899-2002). Smith became chair of the art department at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont in 1936. In 1947 until his retirement in 1963 he taught art and chaired the art department at the University of Virginia. He died in Charlottesville in 1987.

Smith's image of Central National Bank (CNB) building, 219 E. Broad St., on the cover of the January 1929 issue of Richmond Magazine. The building was built 1928-1929.  At 22 stories it was the tallest building in the city for decades. The building was designed by John Eberson (1875-1964), a noted New York architect best known for his design of movie theaters. Local architects Carneal and Johnson shared in the work and design of the building. The large neon sign that stood on the top of the building changed colors according to the weather forecast for the next day.