Vermont Historical Society announces new exhibit: The Vermont Firsts Collection
The Vermont Historical Society is pleased to announce the installation of The Vermont Firsts Collection, a new exhibit at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier.
In 1976, in celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial, Brattleboro’s First Vermont Bank commissioned artist Bruce K. Mitchell to create a series of paintings depicting notable “Vermont Firsts.” These paintings represent a variety of notable “firsts” for the state ranging from innovations in sports and recreation to education to industry, and more.
Mitchell (1933-2018) was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and made his living as a photographer after serving as a navigator in the U.S. Air Force for 14 years. He was best known for painting the Adirondack scenery and was featured in numerous regional shows in New England and New York.
The paintings were presented at galleries, libraries, and museums across the state from 1976 to 1978. In 2022, TD Bank, the successor to the First Vermont Bank, gifted the paintings to the Vermont Historical Society, while an additional painting was gifted by Senator Patrick Leahy in 2023.
This new exhibit coincides with the 2026 semiquincentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and birth of the United States. The paintings are supplemented with objects from the VHS archives and collections, providing additional perspectives on the themes depicted in the paintings, and invite visitors to reflect on these moments in Vermont’s history.
VHS Director of Service and Outreach Eileen Corcoran says, “As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026, it is intriguing to look back at some of the ways we celebrated the Bicentennial. This exhibit offers us the opportunity to reflect specifically on how Vermont represented itself and its accomplishments at that time, and what perspective the past 50 years has provided us with our shared history. It is also fun to ask ourselves what we would choose for themes if we were creating this collection today.”
The exhibit officially opens on January 15th, 2026, in the Local History Gallery at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier, and it will run through June 2026.
