Circulars/Requests for Submissions of Works of Art
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Kurtz, Charles M. (Charles McMeen), 1855-1909
setName: label: See more items in
content: Charles M. Kurtz papers
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1886-1905
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.kurtchar, Series 3
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents note
content: This series consists primarily of standardized forms listing the title of the work of art, size, condition of frames, location, catalogue price and insurance value. These were completed by various artists and describe paintings being submitted to exhibitions organized by Charles M. Kurtz. The most extensive group are those that pertain to the 1886 Southern Exposition at Louisville, Kentucky.

The Southern Exposition was visited annually by half a million people from all parts of the country. It offered not only an art exhibition, but also general exhibitions of natural and manufactured products as well as musical concerts. In 1886, a dispute between the directors of the Art Department of the Louisville Exposition and the trustees of the American Art Association regarding the Prize Fund exhibition, created difficulties in obtaining some of the works specified. Consequently, interspersed among the application forms in this subseries are letters that document this altercation.

Application forms for the St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall Association exhibitions from 1893-1897 and two exhibitions of paintings by the Glasgow School: in 1895 in St. Louis and in 1905 at the Albright Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, are also found in this series. Along with these forms are biographical statements from the artists and descriptive information regarding some of the paintings. Occasionally, as in the case of George I. Seney, works owned and loaned by noted collectors are also listed.