Signed in type at the conclusion by twenty-one members of the “Central Authority” (including Millard Fillmore, Peter Force, Jefferson Davis, etc.) this circular was to be sent only to the governors of the thirty states of the Union that existed as of 1850. Its intent was to have each state’s governor consult with local societies and individuals and then to form and committees in response to the upcoming Great Exhibition of 1851. Each state’s various committees would then appoint suitable citizens who would be chosen to represent American art and industry at the Exhibition.