Royal Photographic Society

Society founded in 1853 in London

The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, commonly known as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), is one of the world's oldest photographic societies. It was founded in London, England, in 1853 as the Photographic Society of London with the objective of promoting the art and science of photography, and in 1853 received royal patronage from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. A change to the society's name to reflect the patronage was, however, not considered expedient at the time. In 1874, it was renamed the Photographic Society of Great Britain, and only from 1894 did it become known as the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, a title which it continues to use today. On 25 June 2019, the Duchess of Cambridge, now Catherine, Princess of Wales, became the Society's Patron, taking over from Queen Elizabeth II who had been patron since 1952. A registered charity since 1962, in July 2004, the society was granted a royal charter recognising its eminence in the field of photography as a learned society. For most of its history the Society was based at various premises in London; since 2019 its headquarters and gallery are in Bristol, England. Membership remains international and open to anyone with an interest in photography. In addition to ordinary membership, the Society offers three levels of distinction – Licentiate, Associate and Fellow – which set recognised standards of achievement throughout the world, and can be applied for by both members and non members, in all aspects of photography and vocational qualifications in the areas of creative industries and imaging science. The Society runs a programme of events throughout the United Kingdom and abroad, through local groups and special interest groups. The Society acts as a national voice for photographers and for photography more generally, and it represents these interests on a range of governmental and national bodies dealing with matters such as copyright and photographers' rights.

Photographers were slow in coming together and forming clubs and societies. The first was an informal grouping the Edinburgh Calotype Club around 1843. The first British photographic society, the Leeds Photographic Society was formed in 1852 but between 1878 and 1881 it ceased to exist independently. The RPS has existed continuously since January 1853. In other countries the Société héliographique was established in Paris in 1851 and the Société française de photographie was founded in Paris in 1854.

The catalyst behind the formation of The Photographic Society was Roger Fenton. The Great Exhibition of 1851 had raised public awareness of photography and in December 1852 an exhibition of nearly 800 photographs at The Society of Arts had brought together amateur and professional photographers. The inaugural meeting of The Photographic Society was held on 20 January 1853. Fenton became the Society's first secretary, a position he held for three years and Henry White was an early treasurer between 1866 and 1872.

As Jane Fletcher has argued the changing nature of photography and photographic education in the early 1970s forced The Society to modernise and to become more relevant to British photography. An internal review led to constitutional changes, the introduction of a new distinction called the Licentiate in 1972 and six new specialist groups were established.

The rising cost of maintaining The Society's premises in South Audley Street, London, eventually led the society's executive committee to look for alternative premises. The Council approved at a meeting on 1 April 1977 a move to Bath and the establishment of a National Centre of Photography to house the Society's headquarters and collection. An appeal for £300,000 was launched in the summer of 1978 for the funds needed to convert The Octagon and adjacent buildings in Milsom Street, Bath. The inaugural exhibition opened in May 1980 with the building officially opened by Princess Margaret in April 1981.

The Society had collected photographs and items of historical importance on an ad hoc basis, particularly from the 1890s. With the appointment of John Dudley Johnston as Honorary Curator, a post he held from 1924 to 1955, a more proactive approach was taken to collecting. Before Johnston's appointment the collection had concentrated on technical advances of photography, and he began add pictorial photography to the holdings. On Johnston's death in 1955 the role of Honorary Curator was taken over by his wife Florence and a succession of paid and unpaid staff, with Professor Margaret Harker as Honorary Curator over a long period. The collection was moved to the National Museum of Photography, Film, and Television at Bradford (later the National Media Museum) in 2002; the move was supported by the Head of the museum, Amanda Nevill, who had been the society's secretary in the 1990s. By 1953 the number of items in the society's collection had reached 'upwards' of 3000 items. At the time of the collection's transfer to Bradford it consisted of some 270,000 photographic objects, over 6000 items of photographic equipment, 13,000 books, 13,000 bound periodicals, and 5000 other photography related documents. The collection was transferred from the National Media Museum to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2017, where it forms a central part of the museum's Photography Centre. The RPS is forming a new RPS Collection of photographs and material relevant to its own history, that of its former members and which will support its educational activities. The Tyng Collection, part of the RPS Collection and now at the V&A Museum, is a collection of outstanding pictorial photography started in 1927 by an American philanthropist and society member, Stephen H. Tyng. He established a foundation to promote and recognise photographic work of outstanding pictorial merit. The first colour print to be accepted into the Tyng Collection, in 1960, was "Madrasi Fishermen" taken by Dr S. D. Jouhar during his six month trip to India in 1959.

From the Society's formation it has published a journal and other publications have been issued over the years.

The Society's journal was originally called The Journal of the Photographic Society of London and for most of its existence has simply been called The Photographic Journal, it is now called RPS Journal. It has been published continuously since 1853 making it the UK's oldest photographic periodical. The journal, particularly in its early years was read and distributed beyond the Society's membership. Past editors have included Arthur Henfrey, Hugh Welch Diamond, William de Wiveleslie Abney, H. H. Blacklock, and more recently Jack Schofield and David Land. The current editor is Kathleen Morgan.

The Society publishes a peer reviewed journal devoted to imaging science and technology, The Imaging Science Journal (ISG), previously known as the Journal of Photographic Science. The ISJ is now published on behalf of The Society by Maney Publishing in print and digital versions.

The Year's Photography was published annually by the Society from 1922 until at least 1961. The flyleaf of the 1957 edition states: "This edition contains a selection from all the exhibitions held in 1956 under the Society's auspices which contained pictures suitable for reproduction There are also review of artistic photography and of the nature exhibition." The publication gives a broad overview of the state of British amateur and professional photography during the year.

Over the years the Society has published a number of one off publications often in partnership with commercial publishers. These include John Wall's Directory of British Photographic Collections in conjunction with Heinemann (1977), Roger Reynolds (ed. ), Portfolio One (2007) and Roger Reynolds (ed. ), Portfolio Two (2010). The Society publishes an annual International Print Exhibition catalogue and increasingly publishes digital catalogues of its exhibitions.

The Society has held an annual exhibition since 1854 and in 2024 it will be in its 166th edition. The Society now holds an annual International Photography Exhibition, which tours the United Kingdom, and other exhibitions. At its new headquarters it shows four major photography exhibitions annually.

The Society runs more than 300 workshops and lectures throughout the UK that are open to members and non members. Many are held at the RPS headquarters in Bath and range from an Introduction to Digital Photography to Plant and Garden Photography.

Each year the Society presents a series of awards to photographers and other individuals in photography. The recipient receives a medal. The highest award of the RPS is the Progress Medal, which was instituted in 1878. The Society's other annual awards are the: Centenary Medal, Award for Cinematic Production, Award for Outstanding Service to Photography, the Combined Royal Colleges Medal, the Education Award, the Fenton Award (and Honorary Life Membership), the Hood Medal, the J Dudley Johnston Medal, the Lumière Award, RPS Member's Award (and Honorary Life Membership), the Selwyn Award, the Vic Odden Award, and The Bill Wisden Fellowship of the Year.

The Progress Medal is awarded in recognition of any invention, research, publication or other contribution which has resulted in an important advance in the scientific or technological development of photography or imaging in the widest sense. It also carries with it an Honorary Fellowship of The Society.