Transactions of the American Art-Union for the Year 1845
Not on view
This paper-bound pamphlet once belonged to the New York architect A. J. Davis. Its small etched frontispiece of "Sir Walter Raleigh parting from his wife on the morning of his execution" reproduces a painting by Emanuel Leutze and advertizes the large engraving that the American Art-Union had chosen in 1845 to produce for its subscribers. Sixty-four pages of text following the image summarize the proceedings of a recent annual meeting, list 115 art works distributed to subscribers by lottery in 1845, and name the organization's officers and many honorary secretaries based across the United States. Text inside the front and back covers describes the Union's incorporation and operating structure. Both cover and title page are adorned with a vignette of three young women holding implements that symbolize sculpture, painting and design or architecture, a nod to the Art-Union's misson of encouraging contemporary American art.