AMERICAN ART UNION

AMERICAN ART UNION. As growth boomed in the American economy and on its Western frontier, artists and art dealers began to notice a lack of growth in the national arts. Gallery owner James Herring founded the Apollo Art Association in 1839, the organization which would later evolve into the American Art Union. (1)

The American Art-Union (1839–1851) was a subscription-based organization formed to enlighten and educate an American public to a national art, while providing a support system for the viewing and sales of art “executed by artists in the United States or by American artists abroad." Art unions had been popular since the early 19th century in Europe; they first appeared in Switzerland, gaining great popularity in both Germany and the United Kingdom in the 1830s. It was the British version — Art Union of London (AUL) — that was used as a model for the American Art-Union (AAU). (2)

For five dollars a year, the members of the AAU received a copy of the minutes from the annual meeting, free admission to the Gallery, and at least one original engraving published by the Union from an original piece of art by a contemporary American artist. In New York City, the members also received a ticket in a lottery to win an original piece of art from within the collection. (3)

In its thirteen years, the AAU became the largest art union in America. It made an important impact on the art literacy of Americans, developed a taste for an American kind of art which was largely nationalistic, and supported the custom of artists and museums. The organization grew from 814 subscriptions, in 1840, with art valued at $4,145 to 18,960 subscriptions, valued in excess of $100,000. (4) With its gallery and thousands of subscribers, the AAU probably had more than any other force to do with the success of many of America's nineteenth century artists and the popularization of their work. (5)

In 1849-50 the Dubuque subscribers to the American Art Union of New York were Hon. George Green, Francis C. Smith, Timothy MASON, James Reid, Alfred L. Brown, Eustace H. Smith, A. D. Anderson, Harrison Holt, Thomas H. Benton, Jr., William J. Barney, Stephen G. Fenimore and R. Spaulding. Five prizes were drawn by the Dubuquers as follows: Painting, "Jephtha's Daughter," worth $350, F. S. Smith, who had recently died; painting, "Sunset," S. G. Fenimore; outline painting, W. J. Barney; medals, Timothy Mason and R. Spaulding. (6)

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Source:

1. "Prints Issued by the American Art Union," Philadelphia Print Shop, Online: http://www.philaprintshop.com/aau.html

2. "American Art Union," Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Art-Union

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. "Prints Issued..."

6. Oldt, Franklin T. History of Dubuque County, Iowa. Online: http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/franklin-t-oldt/history-of-dubuque-county-iowa-being-a-general-survey-of-dubuque-county-histor-tdl/page-9-history-of-dubuque-county-iowa-being-a-general-survey-of-dubuque-county-histor-tdl.shtml, p. 87