Richmond Museum Addresses Troubled Legacy of Its Namesake Family

The Valentine explores its own history

The Valentine
Outside The Valentine.
The Valentine

The summer of 2020 saw a number of troubling statues of Confederate leaders torn or taken down, including one of Jefferson Davis in Richmond. The statue in question was originally sculpted by Edward Virginius Valentine, whose body of work included numerous Confederate figures — work that’s led him to be considered a leading figure in advancing the pro-Confederacy “Lost Cause” movement.

Valentine’s brother, Mann S. Valentine II, founded a museum in 1898 called The Valentine. (As an aside, Mann made his fortune via a product called Valentine’s Meat Juice, which is too surreal not to mention here.) Over the years, it’s become dedicated to the history of Richmond — though its collection also includes Edward Valentine’s studio. It’s the question of how best to address his life and work that currently occupies the thoughts of many on The Valentine’s staff.

An article by Gregory S. Schneider at The Washington Post explores how this museum is grappling with its own legacy. One aspect of this involves placing old works in a new context. Schneider writes, “the Valentine museum has petitioned the city of Richmond to let it display the Davis statue from Monument Avenue — not in its former glory, but tipped over, dented and covered with paint from protesters.”

It’s one of many areas where The Valentine is exploring the complexities of history — and acknowledging that its own history is entangled with those larger strands.

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