Virgin Islands History by Valerie Sims
Virgin Islands History and Culture in Photographs
Have You Seen These Pretty Paintings?
These beautiful paintings are currently up for auction! Cecile Ryden Johnson They were created by artist, Cecile Ryden Johnson, an internationally recognized watercolorist. 👩🏼🎨 She preferred the “open air” style of painting, working in natural settings directly from nature. These beautiful watercolors captured the holiday spirit at Caneel Bay, busy downtown St. Thomas, a panoramic […]
Could This Be Morningstar Beach in St. Thomas?
For those of you familiar with the Virgin Islands, doesn’t this painting above look like it was painted at Morningstar Beach on St. Thomas? ⛱ Viggo Johansen This painting was created by Viggo Johansen, one of Denmark’s most prominent painters in the 1890s. As a boy, he showed an inherent talent for drawing and studied […]
Strange Fish Caught Off St. Thomas ~ 1857
One of the strangest fish ever caught off the Virgin Islands was thrown aboard by the wheel of a steamer one hundred and sixty years ago! 🐠 Creature’s Description Imagine an ugly, bloated sort of perch with a slimy, offensive skin, somewhat like a frog in as much as it had lungs. This strange sea […]
Unusual Padlock Up For Auction! ~ 1930
Padlock Up for auction is an unusual padlock from St. Thomas. 🔓 It has a brass coated front and several personal notations: Winter Cruise 4-13-30, US Aircraft Carrier, Lexington Among my souvenirs, obtained from the City Jail, St. Thomas V.I., Fred, Teddy and others. Rear inscription reads, “To my good friend Bob…“. Lock was made by […]
Christopher Columbus Visits the Virgin Islands ~ 1493
Christopher Columbus This week marks another milestone in Virgin Islands history ~ November 14, 1493 Christopher Columbus, sailing to the New World on his second voyage in 1493, dropped anchor on the north side of St. Croix. The island’s first “visitor” took in the unspoiled tropical beauty and rolling hills of a Caribbean […]
Amazing Photograph Collection Up For Auction! ~ 1911
Bookkeeper, Anders Valstrom, original owner of the collection. Photograph Collection There is a phenomenal photograph collection up for auction this week, closing on November 21, 2017. 📷 It includes photographs of Main Street in St. Thomas, the Police Station, Emancipation Garden, Grand Hotel, Det Beltjen’s Road, Long Bay, the Danish Church, the Danish Export Trading […]
The Royal Three Quarters of The Town of Charlotte Amalie
Learn more on amazon.com Historic Book Available St. Thomas, almost the keystone of the arch formed by the chain of Caribbean islands, for centuries flew the Danish Flag. 🇩🇰 It sits between the Greater Antillian Islands and the Lesser Antilles, between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It has an excellent harbor which in […]
Who is this Mystery Woman?
Who is this Mystery Woman? This image of a woman from the US Virgin Islands is part of a special collection found at the New York Public Library. 🔎 German-born artist and graphic designer, Winold Reiss created this drawing along with many other portraits. It was probably drawn sometime in the mid-1920s or 1930s. Winold […]
Classic Book by Alton A. Adams Still A Great Resource!
Sharing one of my favorite resource books, the Memoirs of Alton Augustus Adams. 📕 It was invaluable in helping me share stories about the visits of Edna St. Vincent Millay, the airship, USS Los Angeles and more! Happy birthday to Mr. Adams who would have been 128 today. A special thank you to Dr. Dante […]
Happy David Hamilton Jackson Day!
David Hamilton Jackson Day In 1915, Jackson declared November 1st a public holiday in honor of the publishing of his first newspaper, The Herald. 🗞 Seven thousand people from all parts of the island gathered on the St. Croix wharf to celebrate with him! His newspaper’s motto was, “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity”. Here’s a link […]