The Valentine has added the extensive photograph archive of Style Weekly to its holdings. The acquisition follows the Valentine’s mission to collect, preserve and share Richmond history, and strengthens the museum’s focus on objects that represent the city’s most defined narratives and lesser-told stories.
The donation includes the entirety of Style Weekly’s photograph archives, including prints, negatives, slides and some digital photographs, as well as bound issues of the publication from its founding in 1982 to 2016. The Style collection joins the Valentine’s vast archive of images, manuscripts, books, artifacts, costumes and textiles.
“This is a major addition to our archives, and an addition we’re excited to utilize to engage Richmond audiences with the city’s history,” says Bill Martin, the Valentine’s Director. “Having a contiguous [photo] archive spanning more than a century will allow us to better present and interpret big-picture Richmond stories.”
Martin continues, “From ‘Top 40 under 40’ to ‘You’re Very Richmond If…,’ the Style Weekly collection provides a unique perspective on a transformative period in Richmond’s history. It was a key element in supporting the emergence of a new and vital cultural community. It will be a key source as we begin to understand this important moment in our history.”
Kris Worrell, editor-in-chief of Virginia Media, the former owner of Style Weekly, said the partnership was important to preserve the impactful work of the iconic magazine. “Now the public will have access to images of Richmond’s vibrant arts, culture and political scenes, as the city evolved over the past 40 years,” says Worrell.
The Style Weekly collection will take years before it is cataloged, digitized, and publicly accessible. Special project funds will be needed to process this vast new acquisition. Additionally, beginning in late 2021, the Valentine will limit access to all of its holdings during its planned renovation of storage and research facilities.
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About Style Weekly Style Weekly was an alternative source publication sharing Richmond news, culture, arts, opinion, and creative thought. Founded in 1982, Style Weekly ceased publication in September 2021.
About the Valentine The Valentine has been collecting, preserving and interpreting Richmond’s 400-year history for over a century. Located in the heart of historic downtown, The Valentine is a destination for residents and tourists to discover the diverse stories that tell the broader history of this important region. Visit thevalentine.org.
The Valentine partners with RFM to provide editorial showcasing Richmond and Virginia history in That Was Then. View that archive here.
[feature photo: Bottom’s Up Pizza, 2000, Mark Jeffries, Style Weekly Collection, The Valentine]
