An Extraordinary Legacy: The Photographs of Marie Kendall

Virtual Tour of NHS Museum July 2020 A video catalog of our exhibition An Extraordinary Legacy: The Photographs of Marie Kendall

Of African and Princely Descent: Norfolk’s Black History

“Few persons in the whole history of the town, regardless of name, race, color or condition have been more respected and loved than was ‘Aunt Bilhah’ Freedom.” So wrote Theron Crissey in his History of Norfolk. When this much-loved black woman died, townsfolk placed a marble monument at her grave with this inscription: Of African and princely descent. Of queenly yet deferential demeanour. Greatly respected and beloved.The black history of a town is often an unwritten one. In 1900, however, Theron Crissey devoted a chapter of his book to Norfolk’s African Americans, giving us the chance to look more closely at their history.

Of African and Princely Descent: Norfolk’s Black History “Few persons in the whole history of the town, regardless of name, race, color or condition have been more respected and loved than was ‘Aunt Bilhah’ Freedom.” So wrote Theron Crissey in his History of Norfolk. When this much-loved black woman died, townsfolk placed a marble monument

Bibliomania (or Book Madness): A Bibliographical Romance

The great book collections assembled and dispersed by Norfolk's Battell,  Eldridge, and Robbins families in the period 1790–1930 contributed to the golden age of book collecting, a time period  described and celebrated by English librarian Thomas Didbin in his 1809 " Bibliomania" (book-madness, or uncontrollable passion for books). Although Didbin's volume is a satire pretending to offer a "cure" for book-disease, his writing on the subject did much to popularize book collecting as a pastime. The exhibit will feature never-before-displayed items from the combined collections of rare books at the Norfolk Library and the Norfolk Historical Society (and possibly White House), giving valuable insight into the lives lived by the Norfolkians whose cabinet collections contained these "imagined" antiquarianisms.

An Extraordinary Legacy: The Photographs of Marie Kendall, Part II

Our 2019 summer season featuring the exhibition An Extraordinary Legacy: The Photographs of Marie Hartig Kendall ~ Part II kicks off with a members opening on June 1 from 4:00 to 7:30 p.m.  Many new photographs and objects have been added to this year's exhibition, which will engage both the returning visitor and those new to the museum.  These include a rare photograph printed on glass, which was made to hang in a window; dozens of Kendall postcards that were recently acquired from a local estate; and a look at the process of conservation period photographs. Also featured is the work of two female photographers, Carrie Smith Lorraine and Una Clingan Rands, both whom were working in neighboring towns during the 1890's. The museum is open weekends from June 2 to October 13 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.