Transactions of the American Art-Union for the Year 1845
Not on view
This pamphlet once belonged to the New York architect Alexander Jackson Davis (1893–1902). An etched frontispiece of "Sir Walter Raleigh parting from his wife on the morning of his execution," after a painting by Emanuel Leutze, advertizes the subject of the large engraving that the American Art-Union chose in 1845 to have made for distribution to its subscriber-members. Sixty-four pages of text summarize the proceedings of a recent annual meeting, list 115 art works distributed to subscribers by lottery in 1845, and name officers and honorary secretaries across the United States. Text inside the front and back covers describes the Union's incorporation and operating structure. Both the cover and title page are adorned with a vignette of three young women holding symbols of sculpture, painting and design or architecture, pointing to the Art-Union's mission of encouraging contemporary American art.
