The Burlington Fine Arts Club was founded in London in 1866 as a gentlemen s club with a singular remit to exhibit members art collections. Exhibitions were proposed, organized and furnished by a group of prominent members of British society who included aristocrats, artists, bankers, politicians, and museum curators. Exhibitions at their grand house in Mayfair brought many private collections and collectors to light, using members social connections to draw upon the finest and most diverse objects available. Through their unique mode of presentation, which brought museum-style display and...