History of PAFA's Annual Exhibitions
In 1969, the 164th Academy Annual Exhibition closed the longest running event in American museum history. The annual exhibitions, commencing in 1811, brought, by a conservative estimate, over one hundred thousand works of art to Philadelphia audiences in about 185 separate exhibitions.
The annual exhibitions were large group shows -- frequently displaying over 700 works -- in which about two thirds of the participating artists were selected by jury and the rest were invited. The number of participating artists ranged from about 100 in the various war or depression eras, up to a high of about 400 in some peak periods. Most artists showed just one or two works. The concept of a large juried exhibition ultimately derived from the French Academy salons, which were the make or break venue for artists from the middle of the eighteenth century to the 1860s. The dense hanging arrangement seen in this 1876 annual was the standard method set by the French Academy a century earlier.
From 1811 to the early 1880s European art was shown in the annuals, but by 1885 only American works were accepted. Most works were for sale and several dozen pieces were usually sold with a small commission going to the Academy. Artists sought a place in the Academy annual for prestige and potential sales, as well as cash prizes and medals, the most important of which, the Temple Gold Medal, was awarded over eighty times.
The Academy annuals were among the two or three most prestigious and important exhibitions in the country and one of the premier venues in America for artists to offer their newest productions to the public. After 1920 powerful new forces swept the American art scene and the large group exhibitions declined in power and importance.
The works shown in Philadelphia were frequently seen, shortly before or shortly after our venue, in the annual exhibitions of other major American institutions such as the National Academy of Design in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Carnegie in Pittsburgh and the Corcoran in Washington. It was not unusual for staff to pack and ship an entire boxcar of artworks in one twenty-four hour period so that it could arrive in time at the next venue – a veritable road show of American art.
Until 1903 the annual exhibitions included works in all media. In 1904 watercolors, prints, and drawings were segregated into a separate annual exhibition. Thus, from 1904 to 1953, the Academy mounted two annual exhibitions per year, an undertaking which in the words of Joseph Fraser, the Academy Director, “consumed the small staff utterly.” The slide, of 1938, hints at the size of the undertaking.
In the mid twentieth century the Academy and most of the other large national shows made format modifications due to the financial and logistical problems presented by these extravaganzas, with the Academy changing to one show per year in 1957, alternating oils and sculpture with works on paper exhibitions until the close in 1969.
The exhibitions provided the Academy and Philadelphia with a prestigious display of current American art. Visitors routinely saw the work of artists such as Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, William M. Chase, Cecilia Beaux, or Thomas Eakins, and in the twentieth century, Charles Burchfield, Stuart Davis, Edward Hopper, Reginald Marsh, Theodore Roszak and Max Weber. In this installation image from 1893, PAFA purchased the Frank Duveneck, Turkish Page.
The impact of the Academy Annuals on American art history cannot be overstated. Its records provide information on various aspects of an artist’s career and today constitute an indispensable resource in the study of American art.
While the Art Institute of Chicago ended its annuals in 1986, the Carnegie still mounts the triennial Carnegie International, changed from an annual format in 1955. The Whitney (not founded until 1932) converted to a biennial in 1972, and the Corcoran series, begun in 1907, switched to a biennial in 1910.
Why did the Academy end the annuals, when other institutions carried on with modified formats? Some of the factors affecting the Academy decision were:
--competition from the private art dealers as the method by which most artists present their newest work to the public
--progressive artists’ disdain for such large group presentations, as well as any kind of jurying, a process widely perceived as an outdated, conservative format
--a relatively conservative Philadelphia public who consistently bought the regional artists’ work – generally the artists who had been juried in - and not the more modern pieces presented by the invited artists
--the rise of New York as the center of the American art world and competition from more modern oriented institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney; and the larger cash prizes offered at other exhibitions
--the stated intention of the Academy to make its annuals representative of the art produced across the entire country, not just the east coast avant garde
--the huge financial drain presented by the annuals, especially since we paid the shipping, insurance, and jurying expenses – a huge sum; and the end of the city’s $25,000 yearly subsidy to the Academy
Written by Cheryl Leibold (PAFA's Archivist, 1985-2010)
-Browse photographs by artists documented
-Browse installation photographs by year
Year | Title | Open | Close | Digitized Photos of Works of Art Documented | Digitized Installation Photography |
1811 | 1st Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1812 | 2nd Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1813 | 3rd Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1814 | 4th Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1815 | 5th Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1817 | 6th Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1818 | 7th Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1819 | 8th Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1820 | 9th Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1821 | 10th Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1822 | 11th Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1823 | 12th Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1824 | 13th Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1825 | 14th Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1826 | 15th Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1827 | 16th Annual Exhibition | May | |||
1828 | 17th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1829 | 18th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1830 | 19th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1831 | 21st Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1832 | 21st Annual Exhibition (2nd?) | May | June | ||
1834 | 23rd Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1849 | 26th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1850 | 27th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1851 | 28th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1852 | 29th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1853 | 30th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1854 | 31st Annual Exhibition | May | June | 1854 - 31st Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1855 | 32nd Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1856 | 33rd Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1857 | 34th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1858 | 35th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1859 | 36th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1860 | 37th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1861 | 38th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1862 | 39th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1863 | 40th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1864 | 41st Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1865 | 42nd Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1866 | 43rd Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1867 | 44th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1868 | 45th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1869 | 46th Annual Exhibition | May | June | ||
1876 | 47th Annual Exhibition | April 24, 1876 | June 5, 1876 | ||
1877 | 48th Annual Exhibition | April 22, 1877 | June 4, 1877 | 1877 - 48th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1878 | 49th Annual Exhibition | April 22, 1878 | June 1, 1878 | 1878 - 49th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1878 - 49th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1879 | 50th Annual Exhibition | April 28, 1879 | June 2, 1879 | ||
1880 | 51st Annual Exhibition | April 5, 1880 | May 30, 1880 | ||
1881 | 52nd Annual Exhibition | April 4, 1881 | May 29, 1881 | ||
1882 | 53rd Annual Exhibition | October 24, 1882 | December 9, 1882 | ||
1883 | 54th Annual Exhibition | October 29, 1883 | December 8, 1883 | ||
1884 | 55th Annual Exhibition | October 30, 1884 | December 11, 1884 | ||
1885 | 56th Annual Exhibition | October 29, 1885 | December 10, 1885 | ||
1887 | 57th Annual Exhibition | March 10, 1887 | April 21, 1887 | ||
1888 | 58th Annual Exhibition | February 16, 1888 | March 29, 1888 | ||
1889 | 59th Annual Exhibition | January 24, 1889 | March 7, 1889 | ||
1890 | 60th Annual Exhibition | January 30, 1890 | March 6, 1890 | 1890 - 60th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1891 | 61st Annual Exhibition | January 29, 1891 | March 6, 1891 | ||
1892 | 62nd Annual Exhibition | January 21, 1892 | March 5, 1892 | 1892 - 62nd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1893 | 63rd Annual Exhibition | December 18, 1893 | February 24, 1894 | 1893 - 63rd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1893 - 63rd Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1894 | 64th Annual Exhibition | December 17, 1894 | February 23, 1895 | 1894 - 64th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1894 - 64th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1895 | 65th Annual Exhibition | December 23, 1895 | February 22, 1896 | 1895 - 65th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1895 - 65th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1896 | 66th Annual Exhibition | December 21, 1896 | February 22, 1897 | 1896 - 66th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1898 | 67th Annual Exhibition | January 10, 1898 | February 22, 1898 | 1898 - 67th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1898 - 67th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1899 | 68th Annual Exhibition | January 16, 1899 | February 25, 1899 | 1899 - 68th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1899 - 68th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1900 | 69th Annual Exhibition | January 15, 1900 | February 24, 1900 | 1900 - 69th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1900 - 69th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1901 | 70th Annual Exhibition | January 14, 1901 | February 23, 1901 | 1901 - 70th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1901 - 70th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1902 | 71st Annual Exhibition | January 20, 1902 | February 23, 1902 | 1902 - 71st Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1902 - 71st Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1903 | 72nd Annual Exhibition | January 19, 1903 | February 28, 1903 | 1903 - 72nd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1904 | 73rd Annual Exhibition | January 25, 1904 | March 5, 1904 | 1904 - 73rd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1905 | 100th Annual Exhibition | January 23, 1905 | March 4, 1905 | 1905 - 100th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1905 - 100th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1906 | 101st Annual Exhibition | January 22, 1906 | March 3, 1906 | 1906 - 101st Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1906 - 101st Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1907 | 102nd Annual Exhibition | January 21, 1907 | February 24, 1907 | 1907 - 102nd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1907 - 102nd Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1908 | 103rd Annual Exhibition | February 4,1908 | March 24, 1908 | 1908 - 103rd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1908 - 103rd Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1909 | 104th Annual Exhibition | January 31, 1909 | March 14, 1909 | 1909 - 104th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1909 - 104th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1910 | 105th Annual Exhibition | January 23, 1910 | March 20, 1910 | 1910 - 105th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1910 - 105th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1911 | 106th Annual Exhibition | February 5, 1911 | March 26, 1911 | 1911 - 106th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1911 - 106th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1912 | 107th Annual Exhibition | February 4, 1912 | March 24, 1912 | 1912 - 107th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1912 - 107th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1913 | 108th Annual Exhibition | February 9, 1913 | March 30, 1913 | 1913 - 108th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1914 | 109th Annual Exhibition | February 4, 1914 | March 29, 1914 | 1914 - 109th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1915 | 110th Annual Exhibition | February 7, 1915 | March 28, 1915 | 1915 - 110th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1916 | 111th Annual Exhibition | February 6, 1916 | March 26, 1916 | 1916 - 111th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1917 | 112th Annual Exhibition | February 4, 1917 | March 25, 1917 | 1917 - 112th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1918 | 113th Annual Exhibition | February 3, 1918 | March 24, 1918 | 1918 - 113th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1919 | 114th Annual Exhibition | February 9, 1919 | March 30, 1919 | 1919 - 114th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1919 - 114th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1920 | 115th Annual Exhibition | February 8, 1920 | March 28, 1920 | 1920 - 115th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1920 - 115th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1921 | 116th Annual Exhibition | February 6, 1921 | March 27, 1921 | 1921 - 116th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1922 | 117th Annual Exhibition | February 5, 1922 | March 26, 1922 | 1922 - 117th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1923 | 118th Annual Exhibition | February 4, 1923 | March 25, 1923 | 1923 - 118th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1923 - 118th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1924 | 119th Annual Exhibition | February 3, 1924 | March 23, 1924 | 1924 - 119th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1924 - 119th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1925 | 120th Annual Exhibition | February 8, 1925 | March 29, 1925 | 1925 - 120th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1926 | 121st Annual Exhibition | January 31, 1926 | March 21, 1926 | 1926 - 121st Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1927 | 122nd Annual Exhibition | January 30, 1927 | March 20, 1927 | 1927 - 122nd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1928 | 123rd Annual Exhibition | January 29, 1928 | March 18, 1928 | 1928 - 123rd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1929 | 124th Annual Exhibition | January 27, 1929 | March 17, 1929 | 1929 - 124th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1930 | 125th Annual Exhibition | January 26, 1930 | March 16, 1930 | 1930 - 125th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1931 | 126th Annual Exhibition | January 25, 1931 | March 15, 1931 | 1931 - 126th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1931 - 126th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1932 | 127th Annual Exhibition | January 24, 1932 | March 13, 1932 | 1932 - 127th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1933 | 128th Annual Exhibition | January 29, 1933 | March 19, 1933 | 1933 - 128th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1934 | 129th Annual Exhibition | January 28, 1934 | February 25, 1934 | 1934 - 129th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1935 | 130th Annual Exhibition | January 27, 1935 | March 3, 1935 | 1935 - 130th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1936 | 131st Annual Exhibition | January 26, 1936 | March 1, 1936 | 1936 - 131st Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1937 | 132nd Annual Exhibition | January 24, 1937 | February 28, 1937 | 1937 - 132nd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1938 | 133rd Annual Exhibition | January 30, 1938 | March 6, 1938 | 1938 - 133rd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1939 | 134th Annual Exhibition | January 29, 1939 | March 5, 1939 | 1939 - 134th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1939 - 134th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1940 | 135th Annual Exhibition | January 28, 1940 | March 3, 1940 | 1940 - 135th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1940 - 135th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1941 | 136th Annual Exhibition | January 26, 1941 | March 2, 1941 | 1941 - 136th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1941 - 136th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1942 | 137th Annual Exhibition | January 25, 1942 | March 1, 1942 | 1942 - 137th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1942 - 137th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1943 | 138th Annual Exhibition | January 24, 1943 | February 28, 1943 | 1943 - 138th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1943 - 138th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1944 | 139th Annual Exhibition | January 23, 1944 | February 27, 1944 | 1944 - 139th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1944 - 139th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1945 | 140th Annual Exhibition | January 19, 1945 | February 25, 1945 | 1945 - 140th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1945 - 140th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1946 | 141st Annual Exhibition | January 26, 1946 | March 3, 1946 | 1946 - 141st Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1947 | 142nd Annual Exhibition | January 26, 1947 | March 2, 1947 | 1947 - 142nd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1947 - 142nd Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1948 | 143rd Annual Exhibition | January 25, 1948 | February 29, 1948 | 1948 - 143rd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1949 | 144th Annual Exhibition | January 23, 1949 | February 27, 1949 | 1949 - 144th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1950 | 145th Annual Exhibition | January 22, 1950 | February 26, 1950 | 1950 - 145th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1951 | 146th Annual Exhibition | January 21, 1951 | February 25, 1951 | 1951 - 146th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1952 | 147th Annual Exhibition | January 20, 1952 | February 24, 1952 | 1952 - 147th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1953 | 148th Annual Exhibition | January 25, 1953 | March 1, 1953 | 1953 - 148th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1953 - 148th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1954 | 149th Annual Exhibition | January 24, 1954 | February 28, 1954 | 1954 - 149th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1955 | 150th Annual Exhibition | 1955 - 150th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1955 - 150th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) | ||
1956 | 151st Annual Exhibition | January 22, 1956 | February 26, 1956 | 1956 - 151st Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1957 | 152nd Annual Exhibition | 1957 - 152nd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |||
1958 | 153rd Annual Exhibition (alternating year) | January 26, 1958 | February 23, 1958 | 1958 - 153rd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1958 - 153rd Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1959 | 154th Annual Exhibition (alternating year) | 1959 - 154th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |||
1960 | 155th Annual Exhibition (alternating year) | January 24, 1960 | February 28, 1960 | 1960 - 155th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1961 | 156th Annual Exhibition (alternating year) | 1961 - 156th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |||
1962 | 157th Annual Exhibition (alternating year) | January 12, 1962 | February 25, 1962 | 1962 - 157th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1962 - 157th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) |
1963 | 158th Annual Exhibition (alternating year) | 1963 - 158th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |||
1964 | 159th Annual Exhibition (alternating year) | January 25, 1964 | March 1, 1964 | 1964 - 159th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1965 | 160th Annual Exhibition (alternating year) | 1965 - 160th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | 1965 - 160th Annual Exhibition (Installation Views) | ||
1966 | 161st Annual Exhibition (alternating year) | January 21, 1966 | March 6, 1966 | 1966 - 161st Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1967 | 162nd Annual Exhibition (alternating year) | 1967 - 162nd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |||
1968 | 163rd Annual Exhibition (alternating year) | January 19, 1968 | March 3, 1968 | 1968 - 163rd Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) | |
1969 | 164th Annual Exhibition (alternating year) | 1969 - 164th Annual Exhibition (Works Documented) |