The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) has received a major gift of 1,986 photographs from Joy of Giving Something Inc (JGS), a nonprofit founded by Howard and Janet Stein. The donation includes works by over 450 artists, spanning the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, with highlights from photographers such as Charles Marville, Eugène Atget, Nadar, Alfred Stieglitz, Dora Maar, and Dorothea Lange. The collection, largely assembled by financier Howard Stein, also features rare daguerreotypes, vernacular photographs, and contemporary works. A previous transfer in 2023 included portfolios by Paul Strand and Larry Clark, and the JGS board has now elected to donate the vast majority of its remaining holdings to the museum.
This gift significantly strengthens the VMFA's photography holdings and will be central to its five new photography galleries, set to open in 2027 as part of a major expansion. The donation underscores the growing trend of major private collections being placed in public museums, enhancing institutional capacity for exhibitions and scholarship. The VMFA also received a grant to support cataloguing and storage, ensuring the collection's long-term accessibility and impact on the study of photography.