Published fitfully from May of 1863 through the end of 1865, was committed to spreading the gospel of Pre-Raphaelitism in America, and seems to have envisioned itself as the American counterpart of . The monthly journal began as the organ of the Society for the Advancement of Truth in Art, whose members included the influential art critic Clarence Cook, Thomas Farrer, Russell Sturgis, and Henry R. Newman. Cook served as the first editor of , and it was during his tenure (in December of 1863) that DGR's was reprinted from . DGR was particularly popular in the pages of , and other Pre-Raphaelites such as Millais and Holman Hunt also received laudatory reviews.

Cook's departure in 1864 (after the close of the first volume) coincided with the journal's apparently amicable split with the Society. The new editors announced in May of 1864 that “That association has voluntarily relinquished all authority over this journal,” while affirming that “its members are among our best friends and most earnest helpers.” Looking back on the first volume, the editors admitted that “We know very well that our journal has not been as good as it ought to have been,” but asked candidly of its readers, “Will you not help us increase our circulation?” Thereafter entered a precipitate decline, ceasing publication for eight months at one stage, and closing altogether in 1865.