11 



FOURTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT 



Corporation Art Gallery Committee. 



r I THE Art Gallery Committee have much pleasure in presenting their 

 -*- Fourteenth Annual Report to the Town Council. As usual, a 

 comparative table of the visitors for the last three years i3 given below. 



There is nothing special to remark with respect to these figures, 

 except that the number of visitors on the free days slowly increases, while 

 that on the paying days as slowly diminishes. The total number of 

 visitors to the Gallery since its opening is now 533,649. 



The deficit to be paid by the Council is about £10 more than last 

 year. The pictures sold at the Exhibitions totalled the catalogue value of 

 £373 lis. Od., being £132 less than last year, but the result is perhaps as 

 good as can be expected, and is considerably better than that of many 

 larger towns. The Art Union realised £87 9s. Od., £12 more than in 1895. 



Every effort has been made to keep up the standard of the pictures 

 exhibited, and the Committee believe that end has been attained. The 

 Autumn and Spring Exhibitions reached a high level of merit, and the 

 Hanging Committee had a much larger number of pictures submitted 

 than they could place, a gratifying proof of the rising estimation in which 

 the gallery is held by artists generally. The Summer Exhibition consisted 

 of Photographs, and the pictures exhibited were both interesting and of 



