State Art Collection – The UncommonWealth

Conservation Manuscripts & Special Collections The Stacks

Transfer of Power: Administrative Transitions and the Library of Virginia

In January of this year, Virginians were focused on events surrounding the history-making inauguration of Governor Abigail Spanberger, but few realized that preparations for the…

Alicia StarliperApril 15, 2026

Manuscripts & Special Collections

Statue Stories: Thomas J. Jackson and Civil War Remembrance

This is the first in a series of blog posts about the statues of Virginia’s Capitol Square, which are a part of the State Art Collection.…

Meghan TownesOctober 26, 2017

Archives The Stacks

"See to it that his name be not forgotten": An unknown soldier in the State Art Collection

As a non-librarian at the Library of Virginia, I am constantly grateful for both the depth of our collections and the knowledge of our archival…

Meghan TownesOctober 21, 2015

From Russia with Love: How a portrait of a Russian Ambassador came to be hanging in the Virginia State Capitol

In 1923 the Virginia General Assembly accepted a gift which would lead to an international investigation and administrative embarrassment 15 years later. The gift was…

Erin FaisonFebruary 6, 2013