University of Virginia Library

Paul B. Victorious

Frames Hide Collection

By Holly Smith

Few of the people shopping or
eating in the area of the Corner
realize that they are within a few
yards of what is perhaps the largest
collection of old prints in the
world.

Paul B. Victorious is the owner
of this collection, And his print
store, located inconspicuously between
the Chancellor Drugstore And
Paul's Newsstand, displays a wide
variety of prints which are only the
top of the proverbial iceberg.
Ironically the store is locally known
primarily for its quality picture
framing: however in the back of the
store, upstairs, And piled on dusty
shelves in storerooms in two nearby
buildings are literally millions of
lithographs, wood block prints, silk
screens, etchings And engravings,
some dating as far back as the 14th
century.

'Vanity Fair' Lithos

Included in this collection are
original Hogarths, Bartletts, Goulds;
a complete collection of the famous
"Vanity Fair" lithographs by Leslie
Ward known as the "Spye Series";
And leaves from books of hours
hand copied And illustrated in
French, German And Italian monasteries
During the 1300's.

Mr. Victorius, a Charlottesville
resident, amassed his holdings by
means of a small amount of capital
And a great amount of talent for
judging what kind of printed material
would significantly increase in
value.

From Medicine To Books

Born in 1899, he quitted his
native New York City at the age of
23 to study medicine at St. Bartholomews
Hospital in London. The
transition from medicine to books
And prints arose from his fascination
with the subject of evolution,
which prompted him to gather
books And manuscripts on theories
And histories of evolution. He discovered
previously unknown works
on the subject And eventually
gathered over a thousand rare
books dealing with the evolutionary
writings.

After this initial contact with
rare books he began speculating in
editions which he felt would increase
in value. The day author
D.H. Lawrence died Victorius sent
letters to book dealers all over
England asking to buy all of their
first edition copies of Lawrence's
books. He quickly cornered the
market And soon his bunch that
Lawrence's literary reputation
would grow proved lucratively correct.
Critics were re-reviewing Lawrence's
works And praising them
highly, making it possible for Victorius
to resell some of the books
three weeks later for ten times what
he had paid for them.

Eventually he gave up his medical
studies And became the purchasing
agent for the rare And out of
print book departments of Columbia
And London Universities, as well
as several U.S. bookstores. Along
with this job he opened his own
rare books shop in London in 1925,
operating it until World War II
began. Victorius was in the United
States when the war broke out so
his holdings, which by this time
included rare prints as well as rare
books, were shipped to the States.
The collection of prints was a natural
by-product of rare book interest
And dealing. Many books
were illustrated by means of original
prints, And artists often had
their series of prints bound in
volumes.

Small Town Atmosphere

The war prevented their returning
to London so Mr. And Mrs.
Victorius decided to live in Charlottesville,
a place with the type of
small town atmosphere Mrs. Victorius
preferred.

To the business of selling prints
And books they added picture framing.
While Mrs. Victorius managed a
retail store Mr. Victorius concentrated
on a wholesale molding factory,
actually designing some of the
moldings produced. The factory has
since been sold; however the retail
store, selling frames And prints, is
still a growing concern. It is under
what Mr. Victorius considers the
expert management of Mr. Richard
Freeman, who has remodeled And
expanded the store, And its reputation
is such that During the Truman,
Eisenhower And Kennedy administrations
some of the new pictures
hung in the White House were
framed in Victorius-designed
mouldings.

According to Mr. Freeman, only
about half the business is from
within Charlottesville. The rest is
sent in from all over the United
States.

Patrons, Not Customers

The store seems to have a very
personal air about it due, perhaps,
to the fact that the clientele are
treated more as patrons rather than
mere customers. Prints And paintings
stacked up against the wall
waiting to be framed are tagged
with such owner's names as Mrs.
William Faulkner And others equally
as impressive but which Mr.
Freeman is reluctant to enumerate
lest he slight other famous And
faithful customers by inadvertently
leaving them out.

The University has benefited
greatly from Victorius's business
sense And knack for acquiring prints
And books of value. His vast collection
of works on evolution, among
which are rare volumes by
Hutton, Chambers, LaMark, Spencer
And Darwin, was donated to the
Alderman Library. The University
law school was the recipient of a
collection of prints (worth over
$35,000) dealing with the law, a
gift donated in memory of Mrs.
Victorius. The University Hospital
has been given numerous framed
prints to hang in its psychiatric
department And mental health And
children's clinics.

Hospitalized

Mr. Victorius has been hospitalized
in the University Hospital for
the past few months with a rare
neurological ailment called the
"Lou Gehrig disease." The illness
has severely weakened him physically
but his blue eyes still shine
with pride as he speaks of his wife;
how good a woman she was, And his
career; how he always held to the
principles of honesty And integrity
in all his dealings.