page_title: The Valentine
section_title: Meat juice fortune and beginnings
hierarchical_section_title: The Valentine / History / Meat juice fortune and beginnings
caption_attribution_description: English: "A Brief History of the Production of Valentine's Meat Juice Together With Testimonials of the Medical Profession." from library of congress site https://archive.org/details/briefhistoryofpr00vale
context_page_description: The Valentine is a museum in Richmond, Virginia dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting Richmond's history. Founded by Mann S. Valentine II 1898, it was the first museum in Richmond. The Valentine offers rotating exhibitions, walking tours, programs, special events, research opportunities and more as a way to engage, educate and challenge a diverse audience. The Valentine also includes the Wickham House, a National Historical Landmark.
context_section_description: The funds for the museum were provided by Mann S. Valentine II, who made his fortune with Valentine's Meat Juice, a health tonic made from beef juice invented as early as 1870. Mann and his sons earned their fortune from the Valentine Meat Juice Company. During the late 19th century, the Valentines began to collect in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, fine arts and decorative arts. Mann laid the foundation for the museum in 1892; when he died in 1893, he provided the original bequest for the Valentine Museum, leaving his collection of art and artifacts, the 1812 John Wickham House and a $50,000 endowment.  Their collection of art and artifacts was the foundation of the exhibitions, when the Valentine Museum opened in 1898. When it opened, the Valentine Museum became the first private museum in the City of Richmond. Mann S. Valentine II's brother Edward Virginius Valentine also had an interest in history and was a well-known sculptor. Edward Valentine served as the museum's first president from the opening until his death in 1930. According to the museum website, Edward Valentine left a large collection of sculpture, papers, furniture and memorabilia to the museum in his will.
  The Valentine acquired a collection of Richmomd photographs from George S. Cook and Huestis Pratt Cook when they were found in the attic of the home of the latter's widow.
caption: Funds for the original museum artifacts came from wealth amassed selling Valentine's Meat Juice.
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