This was one of the most exciting and important discoveries during the initial research carried out by Foundation historians. Mary Goodwin, a cousin of Dr. Goodwin, found this 18th-century copper plate at Oxford University's Bodleian Library. It is thought to have been an illustration created for an unpublished description of Virginia by William Byrd II.
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The caption reads: "The Colonial Capitol of Virginia, Williamsburg, Virginia. This is an authentic reconstruction of the Capitol of the Virginia Colony which was erected in 1705. Here many of the acts and resolutions were adopted which brough about the American Revolution. Here Patrick Henry made his Caesar-Brutus speech. The building has been rebuilt upon its original foundations and is open to the public."]]>
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This was one of the most exciting and important discoveries during the initial research carried out by Foundation historians. Mary Goodwin, a cousin of Dr. Goodwin, found this 18th-century copper plate at Oxford University's Bodleian Library. It is thought to have been an illustration created for an unpublished description of Virginia by William Byrd II.]]>
Rights and reproductions]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Description reads: "A Visit in Pictures to Virginia's Colonial Capital. This is Williamsburg, the restored capital of the eighteenth century colony of Virginia. Here is the little city as it was for nearly a century when Williamsburg was the home of the Royal Governor and the center of a proud society.
Today the twentieth-century visitor walks the same shaded streets where men like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and George Mason began their march into history. And here once more is the Capitol, where Patrick Henry roared his defiance of the Stamp Tax, and where Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights become law. Here are the stately town houses, the modest dwellings of the townspeople, the taverns, shops, and public buildings.
Here craftsmen help to re-create the everyday life of the past. You can see the smiths, wigmaker, weaver, printer, bookbinder, baker, cabinetmaker, cobbler, apotheary, and silversmith making articles which for beauty and utility can take their place with the finest of the present day.
Here carriages drawn by spirited steeds still draw up before the gate of the Palace of the Royal Governors of Virginia, once the social center and symbol of royal authority in the colony. Formal gardens reflecting the influence of English taste upon the colonists still surround the Palace - gardens of boxwood, clipped hedges, pleached arbors, tulips, marigolds, hollyhocks, daylilies, crape myrtle, and magnolias.
Here in the evening by flickering candlelight one may tour the Capitol - visit the General Courtroom, the Governor's Council Chamber, and the Hall of the House of Burgesses - or sit in graceful surroundings at the Governor's Palace to enjoy a concert of eighteenth-century music played on instruments of the period.
Here is the College of William and Mary, founded in 1693, and Bruton Parish Church, where Washington and other patriots worshipped. Here is Williamsburg - seat of culture, center of learning, birthplace of freedom."

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AV-99-11-00-R4, AV-99-11-00-R5]]>
Rights and reproductions]]> see also N4176]]>