Virginia After Dark

I'm a sucker for photography shows.

The Library of Virginia's just-opened "Dark Side: Night Photography in Virginia" seemed like the ideal way to wile away part of the afternoon.

The large-format show led off with several photographs taken at night during the 1907 Jamestown Centennial Exposition when photographers were first exploring the wonder of picture-taking after dark.

"Jamestown Centennial Covered Bridge at Night" looked positively Parisian.

Another from the centennial, "Night Scene of Naval Regatta" looked like an all-black print except for the thin, white line of lighted battleships that bisected the print horizontally.

Surely even President Teddy Roosevelt, sitting in the grandstands watching, was just as impressed.

There were more than a few pictures of Norfolk at night, one of the seedier beer halls and dance joints and another of WW II sailors dancing with their dates, hands all over the girls.

"State Capital Richmond" from 1934 showed the iconic building and grounds, light reflecting off a recent significant snowstorm.

A 1937 shot of the Byrd Theater when "Super Sleuth" was playing was striking for two reasons.

First, how remarkably unchanged it appears with only the center of the Art Deco marquee looking any different than today.

And secondly, that Cary Street must have still been two-way since there are cars parked westward on it.

"Broad Street at Night" from 1959 showed how brightly lit our main drag was, although the adjoining side streets looked to have not a single street light of their own.

Of the nearly 30 photographs in the show, only five were color.

My favorite of that bunch was "Virginia Night Sky" by Chris Anton, a composite of 80+ individual 30-second exposures taken outside Charlottesville.

The sky looks like a pulsing series of star scratches, each echoing the shape of the others and filling the night sky.

It's a beautiful visual demonstration of something you could never see looking at the sky.

But then, the whole exhibit is like that, showing a world I missed but can now appreciate because these talented photographers took the time to record them.

Not a bad way to pass a warm afternoon away.