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11 
FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT 
Corporation Art Gallery Committee. 
HE Art Gallery Committee have pleasure in presenting 
their Fifteenth Annual Report to the Town Council. 
According to custom, a comparative table of the number of visitors 
for the last three years is given below. 
2 
1894-95 | 1895-96 | 1896-97 | 
| | —- 
| 
Visitors to Autumn Exhibition .. ..| 17747 | 17707 | 14360 | 
4 Spring 2 : ...| 18070 | 17300 | 15340 | 
3 Summer = ae ---| 11980 | 12150} 12152 | 
ea SAS) me | 
Total Visitors ... -+| 47797 | 47157 | 41852 
— | =|— 
Fotal Days Open by Payment .. ee 160 | 164 178 
a as Free = aa 89 | 87 90 | 
Total Days Open oe) 249 251 268 
Average on Paying Days ... sa 4 68 62 53 | 
3 Free Days _... is ce) 415 425 361 | 
It will be noticed that the number of visitors is below those of 
previous years, a result which has characterised the returns from many 
other Art Galleries and Museums during the current year. The propor- 
tion between the numbers on the free days and paying days remains 
at about seven to one. The total number of visitors to the Gallery 
since its opening is now 575,501. 
The deficit to be paid by the Council is £17 less than that of 
last year. The catalogue value of the pictures sold at the Exhibitions 
is £449 12s. od., which exeeds last year’s result by £76. The Annual 
Art Union was again a success. 
The usual number of Exhibitions was held during the year, the 
Autumn and Spring consisting as in former years, of modern pictures 
in both oil and water colours. The Committee believe that the 
standard of the works exhibited steadily improves, and for each 
Exhibition more pictures were submitted than could possibly be 
hung. This is a very cheering sign, proving that the Gallery 
continues to hold its place in the estimation of artists. Mr. 
Calderon’s picture of the ‘“‘ Renunciation of Elizabeth of Hungary” 
