When in the early 1960s, retail giant Sears began selling original works of art, it was one of the clearest indications that the American public was becoming increasingly aware of the fine arts and more interested in making them a part of daily life. Over the course of the 1950s, many Americans enjoyed a rising economic prosperity, with more disposable income, more leisure time, and more educational opportunities. This abundance translated into a growing interest in art and culture. In turn, this interest gave rise to a lively public discussion about the state of the country’s artistic and cultural life, a debate carried on by two very different groups of people—one small and exclusive, the other vast and inclusive.
The increase in the number of amateurs taking part in some aspect of art during these years was truly prodigious. The trend in this direction began after World War II; by the 1950s, more people than ever before were going to museums, the theater, and to symphonies. More were also creating their own art by painting pictures. For the first time, art was becoming a regular element in the lives of many Americans. According to the National Art Materials Trade Association, early in the decade there were around 3.5 million amateur painters and the annual retail value of art supplies sold passed the $150 million mark— triple the figure of just five years earlier.
A new tool to introduce hesitant amateurs to the world of painting was the “pre-sketched canvas.” It soon came to be called the paint-by-numbers picture and over 12 million of them were being sold every year. In June 1950, American Artist magazine announced that in response to mounting requests, it was starting a new feature devoted exclusively to amateur painters. Letters of support began arriving immediately. Three months later, with the first installment of the column “Amateur Artist,” the magazine reported that “we were scarcely prepared for the magnitude and warmth of your welcome. Letters...have poured in from every section of America.” Never in the magazine’s history had an announcement generated such reader response. The letters showed that some of these enthusiastic painters dreamed of becoming full time artists. Arthur Guptill, co-editor of the magazine and the first writer of the new feature, said that “quite a few of you, judging from your letters, have a vague hope of someday bridging the gap between amateurism and professionalism.”
What the professionals thought about all this however was another story entirely.