Foster Studio

Located at 404 East Grace Street, within the Grace Street Commercial Historic District, Richmond, VA., the Spanish Moorish style structure was designed by Henry Thomas Barnham in 1927. The four story building is constructed of dark brown brick with contrasting stone bands, ornately carved terra cotta window heads, columns and balcony panels, and an intricate entablature.

Walter Washington Foster was long regarded as one of the leading photographers in Richmond. His output of 65,000 prints and 100,000 glass negatives were donated to the Virginia Historical Society. In 1898 he published a ten photograph album titled “Historic Richmond”.

Winston Churchill was British statesman that served as the British Prime Minister during World War II. As an amateur painter, Churchill produced many light-filled depictions of landscapes all over the world. His painting technique can be attributed to his admiration of Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, and Paul Cézanne. “Painting a picture is like fighting a battle; and trying to paint a picture is, I suppose, like trying to fight a battle,” he once said. “It is, if anything, more exciting than fighting it successfully. But the principle is the same.” Born on November 30, 1874 in Woodstock, United Kingdom, he joined the British Army as a young man and saw action while acting as war correspondent in British India, the Anglo-Sudan War, and the Second Boer War. After returning to England, he spent the years leading to World War I in the British government before once again joining the military. Though he spent much of the 1930s out of political office, alarmed by threat of Nazi Germany Churchill was avid to replace the sitting Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. He went on to oversee the Allied victory over Adolf Hitler’s regime, and continued as the acting Prime Minister after the end of the conflict. He notably had his portrait painted by the British artist Graham Sutherland in 1954 to commemorate his 80th birthday. Churchill famously hated Sutherland’s portrait and his wife destroyed it after his death on January 24, 1965 in London, United Kingdom.