Open Wednesday - Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM*
Portals
The Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia (BHMVA) worked in collaboration with the City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities, with support from Shockoe-area partners, Venture Richmond and The Art Seen to create Portals.
This community-based exhibition currently on display in Shockoe Bottom, Richmond, VA, features large-scale, historic photographs that depict African Americans from the early 1800s to the 1980s.
The images provide a glimpse into the daily lives of Black Virginians in the context of African Americans and Labor, the 2025 Black History Month theme of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). BHMVA has partnered to create this exhibition in alignment with the ASALH theme to pay homage to our ancestors who were brought to America for their skills, expertise, and intellectual capital, all of which were instrumental in building this nation. Whether you see the images by visiting Shockoe Bottom or explore them here on our website, we invite the community to download the QR codes to learn more about each image.
The interactive project runs through the end of February.
Company E 4th USCT at Ft. Lincoln. Va. War memorial 4th U.S. Colored Infantry, at Fort Lincoln
1862-1865
LOCATION: 1705 E. Main St.Collection, The Valentine
Second African Baptist Church Group Crica 1930
LOCATION: VA. Interfaith Center
PHC0035/V.89.296.60
The Ammons Family Photo Collection, The Valentine
The First Armstrong Cadets 4/28/1945
PHC0035/V.89.296.39
The Ammons Family Photo Collection, The Valentine
Marching Band Circa 1926
PHC0035/V.89.296.26
The Ammons Family Photo Collection, The Valentine
Allen Keeping Warm with a Cup of Coffee a the 17th St. Market in Shockoe_Bottom
V_85_37_475
Allen Keeping Warm with a Cup of Coffee a the 17th St. Market in Shockoe_Bottom
V_85_37_475
Mounted half portrait of Dr. Zachariah D. Lewis. Dr. Zachariah D. Lewis (1859-1926) was a Baptist church leader and first president of the Southern Aid and Insurance Company.
LOCATION: BHM
BHM.PH.0439
30.5x75.75
Women on Porch Circa 1930
PHC0035/V.89.296.16
LOCATION: 1721 E. Main St.The Ammons Family Photo
Collection, The Valentine
Full-length portrait of Robert Battle, wearing a suit and standing next to an ornate chair.
LOCATION: BHM
BHM.PH.0448
30.5x75.75
Full length portrait of Dr. Zenobia Gilpin and two unidentified medical personnel administering medical examinations to a group of unidentified children
LOCATION: BHM
BHM.PH.0368
30.5x75.75
Construction of the 17th St. Farmers Market
V.91.04.160
LOCATION: Lulu'sCollection, The Valentine
Local Artists Portals
David Marion
Painter
"History Preserved" Women on Porch Circa 1930
LOCATION: 1800 E Broad St.
2021
Oil on canvas
18″ x 24″
