The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE), known until 1991 as the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, is a leading art institution based in London, England. The Royal Society of Painter-Etchers, as it was originally styled, was a society of etchers established in London in 1880 and given a Royal Charter in 1888. Engraving was included within the scope of the Society from 1897, wood-engraving from 1920, coloured original prints from 1957, lithography from 1987 and all forms of creative forward-thinking original printmaking from 1990.
From April 2026 with approval from H.M. King Charles together with the Privy Council, the Society's official name is now the Royal Society of Printmakers to both mirror and reflect the universality of original forms of creative expression within all forms, approaches and techniques across both traditional and contemporary printmaking.
Contents
History
The Society was established on 31 July 1880 at 38 Hertford Street, Mayfair, London, as the Society of Painter-Etchers for the promotion of original etching as a creative art form. The first six Fellows, all elected at this formation were Francis Seymour Haden (English, 1818–1910); Heywood Hardy (English, 1852–1926); Hubert von Herkomer RA (German/English, 1849–1914); Alphonse Legros (French, 1837–1911); Robert Walker Macbeth RA, (Scottish, 1848–1910), and James Tissot (French, 1836–1902). Samuel Palmer (English, 1805–1881) – one of only two painter-etchers to be granted posthumous Honorary Fellowship of the RE – was terminally ill at the time of the Society's formation, otherwise would have been approached. James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903), who was in Venice at the time of the RE's founding, had a row with his brother-in-law, Haden, and was not invited to join. Letters in support were written to the fledgling Society by Frederick Leighton, then President of the Royal Academy, John Ruskin, Charles Dickens, John Everett Millais, and Auguste Rodin, amongst others. This Society achieved its Royal Charter granted by Queen Victoria in 1888 who bestowed on the President a gold chain of office, becoming the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and in 1898 this was enlarged to include Engravers. Fellow, George W. Eve, designed a new Associates and Fellows diploma in 1893 and 1904.