THE EARLY HISTORY OF DOCENTS IN AMERICAN ART MUSEUMS: 1890-1930

This article examines the origins of docents in America; identifies the first people called docents and traces the development of docentry during the first formative decades of its existence. Originally, all docents were men, and the use of docents represents a very early example of Progressive social policy. Rather than a mere footnote of art museum education in this country, docentry provided a fundamental foundation for its origins. The purpose of this research study is to supplement an incomplete history of art museum education. This study aids museum educators in accurately forming a historical perspective of docents.