The Valentine Focuses on Richmond's Diverse History

Since 1892, the Valentine has been collecting, preserving and interpreting Richmond’s history. Although affectionately known as Richmond’s Attic, the Valentine is anything but a dusty stale museum with a narrow focus.

Instead, it is a vibrant place for residents and tourists of all interests and ages to discover the rich and diverse stories that tell the history of this important region. This includes the history of Richmond’s LGBT community. In short, the Valentine has kept apace with the changing demographics of the city and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

In addition to an extensive collection of documents, photographs and memorabilia relating to the history of the LGBT community in Richmond, the Valentine has offered the Gay and Lesbian History Bus Tour as part of its popular Richmond History Tours program.

The Valentine also has in its collection the pride flag flown by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond in celebration of Gay Pride Month in June 2011. The rainbow flag is of course a widely recognized symbol of diversity, inclusiveness, and hope for the LGBT community.

Reflecting the importance of the rainbow flag to the LGBT community of Richmond, the flag flown by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond for the month of June 2011 is the 50th object in the past exhibition “A History of Richmond in 50 Objects” now available to view online via the Google Cultural Institute.

The flag will once again be on public display in the upcoming “This is Richmond, Virginia” exhibition that will open to the public on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014.