The art exhibitions of small galleries, society clubs and associations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries chronicle the emergence of New York City as a metropolitan city destined to be a global center for the international art market. Ephemeral exhibition checklists, pamphlets and catalogs from this period document artistic movements, artists of the period, economic markets, and the social and cultural history of New York City and the United States.

Materials from the Frick Art Reference Library and the Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives comprise this collection. Spanning the period from 1875 to 1922, documents in this exhibit tell the story of the pivotal role eleven institutions played in the history of art and New York City.