GERTRUDE STEIN
February 5-8, 1935

Avant-garde poet and novelist, Gertrude Stein, made multiple visits to Richmond in the the 1930s and 1940s. Known for her experimentation with narrative literary conventions, Stein hosted acclaimed artists like Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway at her Paris salon. The expatriate returned to the United States for a six-month lecture tour in 1934. Stein and her partner Alice B. Toklas spent several days in Richmond in February 1935, lodging at the renowned Jefferson Hotel.

Stein was welcomed by the Richmond arts community, from the home of Richmond’s own literary star Ellen Glasgow to the Edgar Allen Poe Museum. Yet, Stein left with a poor impression of the city. She condemned the laziness of the American south and the dishonest nature of the city’s confederate statues.

Carl Van Vechten, Gertrude Stein, Richmond, Virginia, February 7, 1935, Gelatin silver print, Courtesy of the New York Public Library