The photographic archives include remarkable collections of early daguerreotypes and photographs from the 1840s, and contemporary photographs from the city's newspapers. The Valentine's largest artifact is the 1812 Wickham House, a National Historic Landmark, built by attorney John Wickham, the wealthiest man of his day in Richmond. He made his home a showplace of the most advanced neoclassic architectural and decorative design anywhere. The house is a major document both of American urban and social history and of American architecture and decorative arts of the Federal period. It is best to submit requests in writing to the Supervisor of Reference Services.
Negatives remain the property of the museum.
Standard reproduction rights form available upon request. Photograph orders are filled as they are received, and take four to six weeks. As the Valentine does not have a staff photographer, there are no rush orders. The exhibition explores the Valentine family's enterprises in collecting and interpreting artifacts, features numerous artifacts from the museum's early days, and examines the ways in which the Valentine's interpretation of Richmond's history has evolved during the past 100 years. In hourly guided tours of this National Historic Landmark, aspects of life in the early 19th century are explored in the public first-floor rooms where ornate decoration helped the Wickhams and their slaves present a picture of leisure and refinement.