Art patronage in St. Louis, 1840--1920: From private homes to a public museum (Missouri)

From its beginnings, art patronage in St. Louis, Missouri, was closely tied to the growth and development of the city's merchant class. By the mid nineteenth century, leading citizens managed the city's banks, breweries and railroad yards, sponsored schools and universities and actively patronized the fine arts. Although initially stressing art's refining and civilizing influence as an educational tool necessary for civic growth, the city's businessmen-patrons soon recognized art's promotional power as a tool for civic advancement. This change in focus occurred at a key moment in the city's economic development and, not surprisingly, in its rivalry with Chicago, and resulted in the formation of the first city-tax-supported art museum in America.; Early evidence of art patronage in St. Louis is found in the art collection of the Mercantile Library Association in the 1840s. Soon educational art exhibitions were featured at the annual Agricultural and Mechanical Fairs and Washington University's School of Fine Arts, while art was used to both educate the public and promote the city by the Exposition and Music Hall Association. These scattered efforts reached a cultural culmination in the City Art Museum formed in 1909. Throughout this process, a complex framework of interrelated individuals supported the establishment of cultural institutions in a manner reminiscent of aristocratic noblesse oblige, often equating the city's cultural accomplishments with its economic achievements. Through an investigation of the key players in this cultural promotion and the organizations they chose to support, it is possible to identify the influences---both educational and pragmatic---that inspired the museum movement in St. Louis. These businessmen-patrons strove to establish a criterion for art in St. Louis that would simultaneously enrich its citizens' lives and promote the city on an international level.; By correlating information about art patronage and exhibitions from each of the city's major art venues during the period and presenting a cohesive picture of the city's art scene, this investigation fills a significant gap which previously in the base of knowledge about St. Louis' role in American art patronage.