Established in 1893 and published continuously since then, the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography is the quarterly journal of the Virginia Historical Society, a privately supported and endowed educational institution headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. The journal publishes peer-reviewed articles and edited primary documents on all aspects and time periods of Virginia history and related topics. The VMHB serves as the journal of record for reviews of books on Virginia history and publishes the annual report of the VHS.

The VMHB is published by the Virginia Historical Society, a privately supported and endowed educational institution founded in 1831 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. The mission of the VHS is to collect, preserve, and interpret the commonwealth's past for the education and enjoyment of present and future generations. With education as its primary focus, it offers public lectures, seminars, conferences, and consulting services; publishes teacher resource materials; conducts teacher training and recertification workshops both on- and off-site; arranges school and general group tours and activities; supports scholarly research through an endowed fellowship program and minority internships; maintains a museum of changing, permanent, and traveling exhibitions; operates a research library and a publications program that has functioned uninterrupted for more than 100 years.