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Wickham-Valentine House
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The Wickham-Valentine House is an elegant neoclassical building constructed in 1812 by prominent Richmond attorney John Wickham and is currently operated as a historic house museum by the Valentine Richmond History Center. Designed by Alexander Parris in the Federal style popular in the early 19th century, the house is brick covered in stucco scored to look like stone blocks. Its back portico gazes upon extensive gardens that at one time stretched across the entire block. Inside, notable features include a dramatic cantilevered staircase with mahogany balustrade, baseboards with hand-carved magnolia buds and blossoms, rare and well-preserved decorative paintings, and a refined Federal style drawing room with an original pair of Charles-Honoré Lannuier card tables.
John and his second wife Elizabeth raised 19 children in the house, with the help of 15 slaves and one paid housekeeper. After Elizabeth’s death in 1853 (John passed away in 1839), the house changed hands several times before Mann S. Valentine II, a successful entrepreneur and collector of artifacts, purchased the house in 1882. Mann made his fortune through the curiously named Valentine’s Meat Juice, a health tonic of pure beef juice. Rumor had it that his collection began with a cigar box filled with arrowheads. As his personal collection grew, Mann envisioned a museum devoted to history, art, and culture and began in 1892 to go about establishing just such a place. Upon his death the following year, he bequeathed both the house and his personal collection of art and artifacts to the people of Richmond, along with an endowment. In 1898, the house became the Valentine Museum, the first museum in Richmond. Mann’s brother Edward, a renowned sculptor, served as museum president until his death in 1930. The museum is fortunate to have in its collection all of the sculpture, papers, furniture, and memorabilia that Edward Valentine bequeathed in his will and has carefully restored Edward’s sculpture studio.
By 1928, the collection had moved entirely to adjacent row houses acquired by the institution, and the Wickham House became a house museum. The house underwent several transitions in the 20th century, most recently returning to the Federal era/Wickham period. This last restoration, which took place in the 1990s, was driven in large part by the discovery of the original surviving wall paintings. Since then, the museum has continued to acquire items belonging to the Wickham family, including a Breguet mantle clock, decorative urns, and original furniture.
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