Virginia
Postcard & Image Gallery

The Capitol, Richmond, Va.
Antique postcard published circa 1900.

The Virginia capitol, built from 1785 to 1794, had a major renovation from 1902 to 1906 that included wing additions. This card shows the building before the wing additions were started in 1904.

 
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The Capitol, Richmond, Va.
Southern Scenes in the Stereoscope.
Stereoscopic card. Source: Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.

This capitol looked much like this for over 100 years, from 1794 to 1904. Since then the wings were added, and, more recently, a renovation with an underground extension was completed in 2007.

The Capitol, Richmond, Va.
Southern Scenes in the Stereoscope.
Stereoscopic card. Source: Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.

This enlargement is included here to show better detail, such as the people.

Washington Monument and State Capitol.
Stereoscopic card. Photographer: David H. Anderson. Source: Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.

This is a different view of this capitol showing the equine statue of Washington on the capitol grounds. Behind the statue is the rear and side of the capitol building.

Washington Monument and State Capitol.
Stereoscopic card. Photographer: David H. Anderson. Source: Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.

This enlargement is included here to show better detail.

State Capitol and Washington Monument, Richmond, Va.
Pre-linen postcard from the private collection of Valerie Mockaitis. Published by Southern Bargain House, Richmond, Va. circa 1915.

The stereoscopic card above has a view very similar to this one. The equestrian statue of Washington was installed in 1858.

 
Telling Them Apart - Virginia

State Capitol Square Showing Capitol and City Hall, Richmond, Va.
Pre-linen postcard from the private collection of Valerie Mockaitis. Published by Richmond News Co. Richmond, Va. circa 1920.

Another unusual view, this card shows the typical blue and pink, partly-cloudy sky of the pre-linen cards with amazing detail and color in the buildings and landscaping.

 
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Capitol, Richmond, Va.
Antique postcard published by E.C. Kropp, Pub., Milwaukee, Wis. circa 1908.

There were many different printing processes and styles used for the early post cards. The ones used for this card added very little color and, apparently, no extra details.

State Capitol, Richmond, Va.
Antique postcard published by Illustrated Post Card circa 1910.

Added color in the sky and pedestrians on the ground contrast sharply with the card above. The capitol building has been left an accurate white, but the flagstaffs on the wings might be inaccurate. The color and detail of this card are much more similar to the Tuck below.

The Virginia State Capitol, Richmond, Va.
Antique postcard published circa 1905 by Raphael Tuck & Sons. Printed in England.

It seems this card was not only made from the same photo as the card above, but also from the same artistic rendition of that photo. The angles of the building and locations of the plants and added pedestrians are almost all identical. Someone added or removed one pedestrian at least from the earlier card, though, because there is an extra person on the right side of the stairs in this view who is not in the newer one above.

Richmond, Va. State Capitol.
Antique postcard published circa 1910 by Raphael Tuck & Sons. Photochromed in Saxony.

This view gives a very different impression from the one above, though it is by the same publisher. The original photos, the artists, and the coloring processes were all different.

Virginia State Capitol. Richmond, Va.
Antique, embossed postcard published circa 1905 by S. Langsdorf & Co. Publishing, New York, N. Y. Made in Germany.

This is yet another view printed from the same photograph and artwork as the two noted above by a third publisher.

Old Capitol Building, Williamsburg, Va.
Vintage postcard published circa 1930 by Louis Kaufmann & Sons, Baltimore, Md.

The original capitol on this site was built from about 1703 to 1705. It was used as the capitol until it burned in 1747. A second capitol was constructed there from 1751 to 1753. The building shown here is a reconstruction of the first capitol which has been built in Colonial Williamsburg based on documentation of the original building.

 
 
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