American Art-Union

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The American Art-Union (1839–1851) was a New York-based subscription group aiming to educate Americans about art and to support the display and sale of work by American artists. It followed European models, especially the Art Union of London, and cost five dollars a year. Members received the annual meeting minutes, free admission to theGallery, at least one original engraving from a contemporary American artist, and in New York City a lottery ticket to win an original artwork from the collection.

In thirteen years it became the largest art union in the United States and helped raise art literacy, foster a distinctly American taste in art, and support artists and museums. The Gallery attracted many visitors even as New York’s population stayed under 400,000. Subscriptions grew from 814 in 1840 (with art valued at about $4,145) to 18,960 later, with art valued at more than $100,000.

The rise came as a growing, educated middle class sought scientific, artistic, and leisure experiences, and as illustrated publications became popular. The Apollo Gallery in New York, opened by James V. Herring in 1838 to display American art, inspired the AAU’s creation.

The American Art-Union opened with a charter on May 7, 1840. Its twofold mission was to develop the middle-class taste for the best American art and to provide a venue for exhibition and sale—the Perpetual Free Gallery—for contemporary artists (free to members, a small charge to non-members).

The Union was run by some of New York’s wealthiest and most connected men, who acted as tastemakers and managers. It supported important American artists such as George Caleb Bingham, Thomas Cole, Jasper Cropsey, Emanuel Leutze, Asher Durand, John Frederick Kensett, William Sidney Mount, and Richard Caton Woodville.

Despite popularity, the AAU faced problems. In 1851 the annual distribution was postponed; in 1852 the lottery was ruled illegal, and investigations criticized accounting and other weaknesses. The collection was sold at auction in December 1852. Many paintings from the AAU later found homes in major institutions, including the U.S. Congress, the White House, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The AAU helped shape what Americans called their national art, reflecting the era’s values and ambitions in landscapes, genre scenes, and historical works.