About This Exhibition

The term salon style derives from the exhibition of the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, which began in 1667 in Paris.

In order to display work by all the Academy’s students, the paintings were hung as close as possible from floor to ceiling. In the nineteenth century, this salon-style hanging became increasingly popular across Europe and in the United States. The gallery has been transformed into an American salon featuring remarkable 19th-century paintings from the museum’s permanent collection.

Two ruffed grouse are in the foreground with a landscape in the background. (The birds are actually prairie chickens.)

Titian Ramsey Peale, Ruffed Grouse in a Landscape, 1873. Oil on canvas, 16 x 22 inches. Wichita Art Museum, Museum purchase, Wichita Art Museum Members Foundation