On March 19 we celebrated a gift made by VCU history professor emeritus, William E. Blake Jr. It is a portrait of Blake painted by David Freed, founder of the printmaking department at VCU in 1966 and VCUarts professor emeritus. His art has been shown extensively throughout the world and is in the collections of major museums and private collections.

William E. Blake Jr. was a long serving VCU faculty member who started teaching full time in 1965 and retired in 1992. Upon retirement he and his wife Miriam started the William E. and Miriam S. Blake Fund to support an annual lectureship in the history of Christianity. In addition to the lecture, the Blakes championed the creation of the William E. and Miriam S. Blake Chair in the History of Christianity – a dream that became a reality thanks to an endowed fund established by family, friends, colleagues and those who enjoyed the History of Christianity course which Blake initiated at VCU. 

The donation of “The Historian” will be a cherished addition to the VCU History Department that will provide a remembrance and cement Blake's legacy of service and giving to VCU and to the department of history.

It now hangs in the history department main administrative office at 811 S. Cathedral Place in Richmond. 

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The Historian, circa 1987 – exact date unknown
medium – watercolor, charcoal and pastel