INTRODUCTION

The Commission of Fine Arts was established as an independent agency by an act of Congress of May 17, 1910 (36 Stat. 371), to advise the Government on matters of art. The creation of this permanent organization was preceded by the appointment of numerous temporary committees functioning intermittently to advise upon major individual projects. As early as the administration of President Washington a committee had been appointed to study designs for the United States Capitol Building. A number of committees and commissions subsequently considered questions of art and design, most notably the Art Commission appointed in 1859, during President Buchanan's administration, to advise on painting and sculpture for the interior of the Capitol Building.

President Theodore Roosevelt, who recognized the need for a permanent committee of art experts, appointed a Council of Fine Arts by Executive Order 1010 of January 19, 1909. President Taft abolished it by an Executive order on May 21, 1909. He did not oppose the formation of a commission to examine matters of art but held the opinion that such a body should be created through legislative action rather than by a Presidential order. At his request Elihu Root, at that time a Senator from New York, introduced a bill in Congress to authorize such a commission, and the act mentioned above was passed.

The Commission is composed of seven well-qualified judges of fine arts, who are appointed by the President for 4-year terms. They serve without compensation but are reimbursed for expenses incurred while attending Commission meetings. The nominal sum of $10,000 a year was allowed to meet the expenses of the new agency. The primary duty given to the Commission by the act creating it is to make recommendations concerning the artistic aspects of the design and location of statues, fountains, and monuments in public squares, parks, and streets in the District of Columbia and to render advice on the selection of models and artists for the execution of these works. The language of that act indicates that only an advisory function was intended, for the Commission does not have veto powers and its decisions are not mandatory.

The advisory powers of the Commission have been increased several times since the body was formed. President Taft's Executive Order 1259, of October 25, 1910, directed that all plans for public buildings in the District of Columbia must be submitted to the Commission for examination prior to approval. Executive Order 1862, signed by President Wilson on November 28, 1913, required that the advice of the Commission be secured on all structures erected "under the direction of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia" that affected the appearance of the city and that involved matters of art. President Harding on July 28, 1921 (Executive Order 3524), directed that all designs of medals, insignia, coins, statues, fountains, monuments, public buildings, and parks that were produced or constructed by the executive departments of the Federal Government must be considered by the Commission of Fine Arts.

The duties of the Commission were further increased by legislation. The act of March 4, 1923 (42 Stat. 1509), that created the American Battle Monuments Commission provided that the Commission of Fine Arts must approve designs and materials before they can be accepted by the former. The Shipstead-Luce Act of May 16, 1930 (46 Stat. 366), authorized the Commission to review the exterior design and materials for private buildings adjacent to public buildings and public parks in the District of Columbia. On September 22, 1950, Congress enacted legislation now known as the Old Georgetown Act (64 Stat. 903). This act provides that before the Commissioners of the District of Columbia issue a permit for construction, alteration, reconstruction, or razing of any building within the limits of Old Georgetown, the plans must be submitted to the Commission of Fine Arts for their report on exterior architectural features.

Other functions, not specified in legislation or by Executive order, have fallen to the Commission. An example is a clause in the bequest of the late Charles Freer that requires the consultation of the Commission on all purchases for the Freer Gallery of Art. It is worthy of note that while the Commission was established primarily to give advice to the Government in art matters pertaining solely to the District of Columbia, from the very first its opinion has been solicited concerning art projects, of both public and private character, in all parts of the country.

The Commission of Fine Arts, since its creation in 1910, has taken under consideration many significant projects including the Lincoln Memorial, the National Gallery of Art, and the Arlington Memorial Bridge. The membership of the Commission has been always a distinguished body. Daniel H. Burnham, John Russell Pope, Charles H. Moore, Lorado Taft and many other noted sculptors, painters, and architects have served on the Commission. A complete list of members appears as appendix II of this inventory.

The records described in the inventory comprise all of the records of enduring value in Record Group 66, Records of the Commission of Fine Arts, that had been transferred to the National Archives by June 1954. They amount to 151 cubic feet. The Commission has retained the bound record set of minutes of its meetings, the index thereto, and a general index to the correspondence and projects.

Other record groups in the National Archives contain related materials. Records concerning earlier building construction and statue or monument location in the District of Columbia are to be found chiefly among the records of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital (RG 42) and the Office of the Secretary of the Interior (RG 48). Additional sources of information on the work and activities of the Commission of Fine Arts include the Reports, which were at first issued annually but later for longer periods, the most recent (No. 15) covering the period January 1945 through June 1949; and chapter XXV of Charles

Moore's work on Daniel Burnham: Planner of Cities (New York, Houghton Mifflin, 1921), which discusses at length the background, organization, and activities of the Commission for the first decade of its existence.

RECORDS OF THE COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS

GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE.

1910-42. 4 ft.

Letters received, most of them with copies of letters sent attached, 1910-23 and 1927-42, covering the entire range of the Commission's activities.

Included are memoranda, reports, and other papers relating to financial obligations, art projects, and the work of the Commission in its relations with various Federal offices and officials. chronologically in folders covering 6- or 12-month periods.

Arranged

The folders for the periods 1919-23 and 1927-37 are designated as "Charles Moore Correspondence" but contain material similar in subject content to the remainder of the file. The correspondence for the period June 1923 to July 1927 is missing and is reported to have been lost during one of the moves made by the Commission.

Press copies of letters sent relating to activities of the Commission. Included also are copies of minutes of Commission meetings, budget estimates, expenditure reports, and miscellaneous memoranda. Arranged chronologically. There is a name index in the front of each volume and a subject index to all four volumes in the final volume. That volume also contains a chronological index to the minutes of the meetings from July 8, 1910, to May 10, 1913. Many of these letters are duplicated in the records described in entries 1 and 4.

CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING COMMISSION MEETINGS. 1910-40.

4 ft.

3 Copies of letters to members notifying them of meeting dates, most of them with replies attached, and copies of the minutes and agenda of a number of the Commission's meetings. Arranged chronologically by date of meeting. Correspondence covering the periods 1917-21 and 1924-33 is missing.

CORRESPONDENCE OF THE SECRETARY AND EXECUTIVE OFFICER WITH MEMBERS
OF THE COMMISSION. 1910–40. 4 ft.

4 Deals largely with attendance at Commission meetings, reports of expense accounts of individual members, requests for services from the Secretary, and other administrative matters. Occasionally, biographical data concerning members and oaths of office are included among these records. The correspondence also contains a record of public tributes to deceased members, together with copies of letters of condolence and resolutions passed by the Commission. Arranged alphabetically by name of Commission member and thereunder chronologically.

The materials relating to the work of Dr. Charles Moore, Chairman of the Commission from 1915 to 1937, are of particular interest (1 ft. 3 in.). Included are drafts of articles and speeches prepared in connection with memorial ceremonies and dedications; articles dealing with the development of the city of Washington, the L'Enfant Plan, and American cemeteries in Europe; a biographical sketch of Dr. Moore prepared by H. P. Caemmerer, Secretary and Executive Officer of the Commission; and records relating to Dr. Moore's death, including resolutions of the Commission and other organizations, newspaper clippings, and articles.