Just in time for the holidays, and to commemorate their first year with a new institutional name, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC) has fashioned a new and collectible holiday ornament. The “Official Virginia History Ornament of 2018” reflects iconic symbols of Virginia’s past and themes found in the museum’s more than 9 million – item collections. The ornament is available for sale at shopvirginiahistory.org.
The laser-cut, two-dimensional gold-colored metal ornament is brilliantly painted with red, green and white enamel-like finishes. There are ornaments within the ornament that highlight the history of Virginia. Designed in the shape of a Christmas tree swirled in red ribbon, the three inches tall tree is decked with fourteen white Dogwood blossoms, a cardinal and the Virginian state seal, each an official symbol of the Commonwealth. Three ships are also riding high on the delicate boughs of the tree, representing the original vessels that made their way to the new world, the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, which carried with them the first permanent colonists to Virginia in 1607. A handsome bust of Virginia-born founding father George Washington sits on a low bough, looking over the Virginia State Capitol. The Capitol, which anchors the bottom of the tree, is skirted by a red scrolled banner that reads, “COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA 2018.” The tree ornament is topped with a tri-colored star, fashioned after the famous Mill Mountain Star for which the city of Roanoke is infamous.
The back side of the Official Virginia History Ornament is equally attractive. Shining in high-polished gold-colored metal, the ornament back is stamped with the new logo for the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and features an even larger engraving of the original Virginia Historical Society seal and founding year, 1831. Proceeds from the sales of the ornament benefit VMHC educational initiatives.
The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is owned and operated by the Virginia Historical Society — a private, non-profit organization established in 1831. The historical society is the oldest cultural organization in Virginia, and one of the oldest and most distinguished history organizations in the nation. For use in its state history museum and its renowned research library, the historical society cares for a collection of nearly nine million items representing the ever-evolving story of Virginia.
The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is located at 428 North Boulevard in Richmond’s Museum District. Hours are Monday – Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. for the galleries and museum shop, Monday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. for the research library. For more information call 804.340.1800, visit VirginiaHistory.org, or connect with the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on Facebook and Twitter
