The Virginia Historical Society Opens Virginians at Work

The Virginia Historical Society(VHS) has opened Virginians at Work, a permanent exhibition in the Charles F. Bryan, Jr. Wing, which opened this year in celebration of the 175th anniversary of the VHS.  The exhibition focuses on oral histories and artifacts of ordinary people who have made a living in Virginia as well as how and why those jobs have changed.  The 3000-square-foot exhibition moves chronologically through Virginia’s economic history, showcasing the most dynamic element of four broad periods: Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial and the present day service economy. 

The display cases, which are lined with familiar items and images of retail centers of yesterday, remind the visitor of wandering an antique store where the price tags have been replaced with informative placards.

In Service and Beyond is a permanent exhibition, representative of ten years of research and study that illustrates the working life “below stairs” in Maymont’s expansive Victorian home.  Visitors to the home guide themselves through the kitchen, wine cellar, laundry, butler’s bedroom and pantry, maids’ bedroom and several service areas that have all been completely restored in such detail that the labels on pantry items are period specific. 

Guests can explore the lives of Maymont employees inside and out of the workplace during the Gilded Age and examine a dramatic era of changing household technologies and domestic service.  For more information, visit the Maymont Foundation.

http://www.vahistorical.org/

September 29, 2006   Posted in: United States East