DOI Artikel:
Holmes, Charles: The History of the Royal Society of Painters in Water-Colours
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.27085#0030
THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY
occupied by the Society of Painters in Water Colours, having
expired, and their new Exhibition Room being less spacious than
the former, they have taken the opportunity to revert to the original
plan on which the Society was established in 1804, by confining
their exhibitions to Works executed by Members of the Society, and
in Water-Colours only. This alteration, they have reason to hope,
will be generally approved; and they trust their removal will not
operate to diminish the patronage they have hitherto enjoyed, and
which has enabled them to promote the improvement of their art,
by distributing the profits of the Exhibition, as Premiums, for the
encouragement of meritorious and elaborate Works.” But the show
excited only languid interest; it was visited by less than nine thousand
people, and it produced a margin of only £44 after expenses were
paid. In the following year things were even worse, for the attend-
ance dropped to but little over seven thousand, and there was a
deficit instead of a profit.
Evidently the Egyptian Hall was not likely to prove a suitable exhi-
bition place, and clearly the Society had not yet found out how to
secure from the public sufficient attention. So, to try and improve
matters, the members decided to increase their numbers, and set
seriously to work to find a larger gallery in which to establish them-
selves permanently. At last, in December 1822, they took on lease
a new room which had just been built in Pall Mall East, and there
the Society has remained to the present day. In the interval between
the signing of the lease and the opening of the 1823 exhibition
several additions were made to the list of members and Associates, so
that the total number of contributors amounted to thirty-two. The
members were George Barret, Miss Barret, Miss Byrne, David Cox,
Cristall, Copley Fielding, Mrs. T. H. Fielding, J. D. Harding, Robert
Hills, Frederick Mackenzie, Samuel Prout, Pugin, G.F. Robson, John
Smith, Stephanoff, F. Stevens, Miss Scott, W. Turner, John Varley,
and C. Wild ; and the Associates, H. C. Allport, W. T. Bennett,
R. H. Essex, F. O. Finch, H. Gastineau, S. Jackson, C. Moore,
W. Nesfield, H. Richter, W. Scott, W. Walker, and J. Whichelo.
Of these three, Smith, Stevens, and Allport, ceased to exhibit after
1823.
This new departure on the part of the Society was immediately
justified by its results. Over eleven thousand people visited the
1823 exhibition, which produced a satisfactory surplus; and there
was a definite increase in sales. In 1823 it was decided to allow the
number of the Associates to be increased to sixteen ; but, though this
rule was passed, it was, for various reasons, not acted upon, and there
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occupied by the Society of Painters in Water Colours, having
expired, and their new Exhibition Room being less spacious than
the former, they have taken the opportunity to revert to the original
plan on which the Society was established in 1804, by confining
their exhibitions to Works executed by Members of the Society, and
in Water-Colours only. This alteration, they have reason to hope,
will be generally approved; and they trust their removal will not
operate to diminish the patronage they have hitherto enjoyed, and
which has enabled them to promote the improvement of their art,
by distributing the profits of the Exhibition, as Premiums, for the
encouragement of meritorious and elaborate Works.” But the show
excited only languid interest; it was visited by less than nine thousand
people, and it produced a margin of only £44 after expenses were
paid. In the following year things were even worse, for the attend-
ance dropped to but little over seven thousand, and there was a
deficit instead of a profit.
Evidently the Egyptian Hall was not likely to prove a suitable exhi-
bition place, and clearly the Society had not yet found out how to
secure from the public sufficient attention. So, to try and improve
matters, the members decided to increase their numbers, and set
seriously to work to find a larger gallery in which to establish them-
selves permanently. At last, in December 1822, they took on lease
a new room which had just been built in Pall Mall East, and there
the Society has remained to the present day. In the interval between
the signing of the lease and the opening of the 1823 exhibition
several additions were made to the list of members and Associates, so
that the total number of contributors amounted to thirty-two. The
members were George Barret, Miss Barret, Miss Byrne, David Cox,
Cristall, Copley Fielding, Mrs. T. H. Fielding, J. D. Harding, Robert
Hills, Frederick Mackenzie, Samuel Prout, Pugin, G.F. Robson, John
Smith, Stephanoff, F. Stevens, Miss Scott, W. Turner, John Varley,
and C. Wild ; and the Associates, H. C. Allport, W. T. Bennett,
R. H. Essex, F. O. Finch, H. Gastineau, S. Jackson, C. Moore,
W. Nesfield, H. Richter, W. Scott, W. Walker, and J. Whichelo.
Of these three, Smith, Stevens, and Allport, ceased to exhibit after
1823.
This new departure on the part of the Society was immediately
justified by its results. Over eleven thousand people visited the
1823 exhibition, which produced a satisfactory surplus; and there
was a definite increase in sales. In 1823 it was decided to allow the
number of the Associates to be increased to sixteen ; but, though this
rule was passed, it was, for various reasons, not acted upon, and there
h xviii