Arts philanthropist Pam Reynolds and photographer Scott Elmquist (Photo courtesy The Valentine)
James River Park System Director Ralph White rising out of the water. The staff of Plan 9 Music styled to match The Beatles from “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The late local personality Donnie Corker, aka “Dirtwoman,” dressed as Cupid, clutching a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Arts philanthropist Pam Reynolds posing in a paper dress.
For more than 40 years, Style Weekly photographers have captured images of renowned Richmond personalities. Some of those works are now on display at The Valentine as part of the exhibition “Portraits: The ‘Style Weekly’ Photograph Archive.”
“When you get an assignment to photograph someone like Ralph White or Pam Reynolds, you slow down and try to put everything you have into it,” says Scott Elmquist, Style’s staff photographer since 1999.
In September 2021, The Valentine acquired Style’s photography archive — as well as bound volumes of the weekly alt-magazine — after the publication was purchased by the investment firm Alden Global Capital, shutting down their operations. Later that year, VPM Media Corp. acquired Style, transitioning the brand to an online format with a quarterly print magazine.
The photo archives filled seven filing cabinets and landed in Elmquist’s Manchester studio, a space that was prone to flooding. Style Editor-in-Chief Brent Baldwin approached The Valentine to gauge the museum’s interest in acquiring the collection.
“It was an effort to ensure that body of imagery was not lost,” says Meg Hughes, deputy director of collections at The Valentine. “Photography has been a major area of The Valentine, and we have a deep collection that covers all eras of Richmond history. And, of course, it’s fantastic imagery.”
Since the acquisition three years ago, Valentine staff have been rehousing and exploring the collection. The exhibition, Hughes says, is a first glimpse.
Elmquist took the first pass at selecting images, which span four decades and highlight all five current and former staff photographers: Elmquist, Stephen Salpukas, Kent Eanes, Chad Hunt and Jay Paul (now Richmond magazine’s senior photographer).
“I also came across stuff, like a great shot of [Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist] Michael Paul Williams in the late ’90s. It was just in some random file,” Elmquist says.
That’s also when a theme emerged.
“We realized it was a lot of portraits,” Elmquist says.
The exhibition applies a loose definition to the term. In addition to the standout cover shots of iconic Richmonders, the showcase includes portraits of everyday life in the city. There’s a child watching the demolition of public housing in the Blackwell neighborhood and an unpublished image of Ruth H. Johns peeking out of the window of Miss Thing’s Laundry, surrounded by faded photos of Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson.
Each photo tells a story, both in subject and in composition, which the photographers document in the panels below each image. “These aren’t the day-to-day assignments, where we’re moving fast,” Elmquist says. “It’s the moments you just don’t forget.”
“Portraits: The ‘Style Weekly’ Photograph Archive” continues through May 26, 2025, at The Valentine. Some of the featured photographers will participate in a panel discussion on Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15.
