Unknown, 2nd Regiment, United States Colored Light Artillery, Battery A: Ready, ca. 1864, Albumen silver print, dimensions not given, collection of Julia J. Norrell
Shadows of History: Photographs of the Civil War
September 19, 2015 – January 3, 2016
The American Civil War was one of the first conflicts to be extensively documented by photography. The public had never before seen such powerful images of human devastation and the destructive impact of war. Inspired by the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Corcoran presents this focused collection developed in recent years by Washington collector Julia (“Judy”) Norrell. The photographs capture a wide range of subjects, from geographical views, landscapes, and portraits of soldiers and officers at rest, to the death and destruction in the aftermath of battles. Photographs by George Barnard, Issac H. Bonsall, Matthew Brady, Alexander Gardner, James F. Gibson, Frederick F. Gutekunst, Timothy H. O’Sullivan, Andrew J. Russell, D. B. Woodbury, and others, are included. A special emphasis of the collection is rare imagery of African American regiments and their underappreciated role in the war. In addition, to strengthen the presentation of the role of African Americans in the Civil War, a major tableau by Whitfield Lovell is included. It features a life-size portrait of an African American soldier.
A Tangled Plot: Works by Annie Blazejack and Geddes Levenson
July 12–October 5, 2025
The Summer 2025 exhibition at the VBMA will showcase 42 paintings and mixed media works by the collaborative duo Annie Blazejack and Geddes Levenson. Blazejack earned her MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston at Tufts University, while Levenson received her MFA from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Their work spans various media and reflects their shared focus on the environment and their upbringing in Miami, Florida.
Timeless: Robert Farber’s Fashion Photography
February 10–August 31, 2025
The works featured in Timeless are drawn from two major bodies of work: Robert Farber’s Vintage Fashion series, captured during commercial shoots, and the Deterioration series, which consists of prints from his earlier fashion photography.