Western Union artifacts preserve correspondence between artists

My recent research has rewarded me with this original Western Union telegraph correspondence between Holmes Smith, President of the Society of Western Artists in 1902, and Frank Duveneck, acknowledging the sale of "Yacht Harbor" for $200.

The painting was part of a collection of paintings donated to certain schools within the St. Louis Public Schools district in 1902. A committee selected the paintings from a traveling exhibition of the Society of Western Artists.

The assignment of the pictures was determined by a popular voting contest put on by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The pictures were then presented to the Board of Education for the six schools obtaining the largest number of votes.

Duveneck's "Yacht Harbor" was considered the top prize and was awarded to Riddick School, which received the most votes.