The Henry Van der Weyde, a Civil War Prisoner’s Sketchbook Exhibit offers an intimate look at the work of this remarkable 19th-century photographer, artist, and Civil War soldier. The exhibition will feature Van der Weyde’s original sketchbook, created while he was imprisoned in Danville as a Union soldier, which was donated to the museum in 2012.

Along with the original sketchbook, enlarged, high-quality framed prints of the sketches will be on display and available for purchase. Proceeds will support the conservation of the original sketchbook, which requires significant structural treatment of its pages and binding.

In conjunction with the Van der Weyde exhibition, DMFAH is partnering with the National Museum of Civil War Medicine to present the traveling exhibition “The Toll of War.” This exhibition explores how Black and white soldiers and civilians faced the harsh realities of war during and after the conflict.

Several fascinating artifacts from the National Museum of Civil War Medicine will also be on display, including a Civil War-era surgical kit and three objects carved by prisoners at Libby Prison: a wooden ring, a bone ring, and a bone whistle.

The exhibition will also be accompanied by two speaker presentations. On September 15 at 6 p.m., local historian Jarred Marlowe will present “1,323 Graves in the Tobacco Soil: The Civil War Atrocities of Danville’s Warehouse Prisons.” and on October 13 at 6 p.m., a representative from the National Museum of Civil War Medicine will present a program exploring amputations and surgical practices during the Civil War.

Join us for this fascinating, months-long exhibition and its accompanying educational programs exploring art, imprisonment, medicine, and daily life during the Civil War.