In 1913, the Art Institute's collections were predominantly composed of plaster casts of Greek and Roman sculptures and the Demidoff Collection of old masters, which included important acquisitions of work by Frans Hals, Rembrandt van Rijn, and Jan Steen. According to Director William M. R. French, there was little money available for acquisitions, and growth of the collections relied heavily on donations and purchases by subscription.

The marble sculpture Portrait Bust of Miss Wilhelmina Cranmer by Mario J. Korbel is an example of the museum's collecting aesthetic at the time of the Armory Show. Acquired in 1913, as detailed in the acquisitions Day Book, it is now on display in the Elizabeth Morse Touch Gallery in Ryan Education Center (Modern Wing, gallery 199).

During the few weeks it was exhibited, the International Exhibition of Modern Art shared walls with a number of other shows and events. The domestic scenes of Pauline Palmer and Frederick C. Frieseke did not arouse the suspicions of the public as the Armory Show did. For the twenty-fifth year, the museum hosted a juried show of watercolors, pastels, and miniatures; for the twenty-first year, the Horticultural Society of Chicago put on their show of spring flowers.

1. Acquisition details. Day Book. March 15, 1913.
2. Portrait Bust of Miss Wilhelmina Cranmer. Mario J. Korbel. c. 1910.
3. "Blackstone Hall." The Art Institute of Chicago General Catalogue of Paintings, Sculpture and Other Objects in the Museum. 1913.
4. View of grand staircase, cast galleries, and Blackstone Hall, c. 1910.
5. Permanent Endowment Funds card, 1913.
6. Telegram from William M. R. French to Charles Burkholder, March 24, 1913.
7. Twenty-first Annual Exhibition of the Horticultural Society of Chicago at the Art Institute of Chicago, April 1 to 5, 1913.
8. "Flower show amid statues of ancients." Chicago Daily News, April 1, 1913.
9. Chicago Evening Post, April 1, 1913.
10. Exhibition of Paintings by Pauline Palmer, March 24 to April 8, 1913.
11. Catalogue of the Twenty-fifth Annual Exhibition of Water Colors, Pastels, and Miniatures by American Artists, March 25 to April 27, 1913.
12. Exhibition of Paintings by Frederick C. Frieseke at the Art Institute of Chicago, April 8 to 22, 1913.