Established in 1898, it was originally entitled American Art Annual.

"[1] A yearly feature is the "Review of the Year" article discussing the touring exhibitions, commissions, grants to organizations, construction starts at museums and other facilities, and various other events that occur within the art community.

Initially the directory was the work of the New York area artist Florence Nightingale Levy and published by The Macmillan Company.

[2] The American Federation of Arts, with which Mrs. Levy was associated and which she would later become the president of, was founded in 1909[3] and in 1913 the directory became an official publication of that organization.

This article relating to a magazine connected with the visual arts is a stub.