The Copyright Act of 1909 was meant to be a complete rewrite and overhaul of existing copyright law. As originally proposed in the draft of the bill, copyright protection required putting the word "copyright" or a sanctioned abbreviation on the work of art itself. This included paintings, the argument being that the frame was detachable.
The Copyright Act of 1909 intended to comprehensively revise and update existing copyright laws. According to the original bill draft, copyright protection required including the word "copyright" or an approved abbreviation on artworks, like paintings. This was based on the notion that frames could be removed.