The Society of Women Artists (SWA) is a British art body dedicated to celebrating and promoting fine art created by women. It was founded as the Society of Female Artists (SFA) in about 1855, offering women artists the opportunity to exhibit and sell their works. Annual exhibitions have been held in London since 1857, with some wartime interruptions.

History

Particularly during the 19th century, the British art world was dominated by the Royal Academy (RA), founded in 1768. Two of the 34 named founders were women painters: Angelica Kauffman (1741–1807) and

Mary Moser Mary Moser (27 October 1744 – 2 May 1819) was an English painter and one of the most celebrated female artists of 18th-century Britain. One of only two female founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768 (along with Angelica Kauffman), Mose ...

(1744–1819). However, it was not until 1922 that other female artists were admitted to the academy. Annie Swynnerton, a member of the Society of Women Artists since 1889, was elected as the first female associate member of the Royal Academy and in 1936,

Dame Laura Knight Dame Laura Knight ( Johnson; 4 August 1877 – 7 July 1970) was an English artist who worked in oils, watercolours, etching, engraving and drypoint. Knight was a painter in the figurative, realist tradition, who embraced English Impressi ...

became the first female elected full member of the Royal Academy. A woman's place in society was perceived as passive and governed by emotion. And in the 1850s, the idea that women could be artists was hotly debated by John Ruskin and other critics in various journals. Ruskin wrote to Sophia Sinnett in 1858 "You must resolve to be quite a great paintress; the feminine termination does not exist, there never having been such a being as yet as a lady who could paint." Women were not considered as serious contributors to the field of art and had great difficulty in obtaining a public showing. Their education in the arts was limited and they had been excluded from the practice of drawing from the nude figure since the Royal Academy was founded. However, Ruskin later revised his opinion of women artists after seeing

Elizabeth Thompson Elizabeth Southerden Thompson (3 November 1846 – 2 October 1933), later known as Lady Butler, was a British painter who specialised in painting scenes from British military campaigns and battles, including the Crimean War and the Napoleonic ...

's ''The Roll Call'' at the Royal Academy in 1874. After much debate and petitioning, in December 1883, the Royal Academy Schools agreed to provide life classes "for the study of the partially draped figure" to female students but it was a further 10 years before women were admitted to these classes. It was at this time that life classes for women were becoming more widely available across the country. Nevertheless, British women artists proved themselves capable of working both individually and in collaboration and consequently, gained greater credibility. In order to progress and find opportunities to exhibit, they began to form their own organisations. One of the most significant of those bodies was the Society of Female Artists, founded around 1855. Initially, membership was granted to women who had exhibited with the Society and who earned their livelihood through art.

Society of Female Artists (c. 1855 – c. 1869)

In 1855, English biographer

Harriet Grote Harriet Grote (1792–1878) was an English biographer. She was married to George Grote and was acquatined with many of the English philosophical radicals of the earlier 19th century. A longterm friend described her as "absolutely unconventional" ...

(1792–1878) and opera singer Jenny Lind (1820–1887) were cited as founder members of the SFA, with the society's first headquarters located at the

Architectural Association The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in the world. Its wide-ranging programme ...

in Conduit Street, London. The society was initially managed by a committee, and, although its members were sometimes listed in early catalogues, no presiding officer was ever named. Early members included

Rosa Bonheur Rosa Bonheur (born Marie-Rosalie Bonheur; 16 March 1822 – 25 May 1899) was a French artist known best as a painter of animals ( animalière). She also made sculpture in a realist style. Her paintings include ''Ploughing in the Nivernais'', fir ...

and Elizabeth Thompson. The society's first exhibition, held at 315 Oxford Street, London between 1 June and 18 July 1857, became the focus of debate with regard to the role of women in art. The exhibition comprised 358 works by 149 female artists, the predominant genre being landscapes. In May 1857, prior to the opening, ''

The Art Journal ''The Art Journal'' was the most important British 19th-century magazine on art. It was founded in 1839 by Hodgson & Graves, print publishers, 6 Pall Mall, with the title ''Art Union Monthly Journal'' (or ''The Art Union''), the first issue of 7 ...

'' and ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' were supportive of the exhibition. The then secretary stated in ''The Art Journal'' (June 1857): "The Committee are (sic) gratified to announce that the success of their first Exhibition has fully exceeded their expectations." The Society then held annual exhibitions in London showing work of women artists (except in the years 1912–1914, 1919 and 1940–1946). Until 1863, the annual exhibition received controversial reviews, probably as exhibits were chosen on a liberal and amicable basis. This was addressed in 1865, when their lack of professionalism led to a reorganisation of the Society under the patronage of the Duchess of Cambridge and consequently it was renamed the Society of Lady Artists. The Society has received royal patronage since 1865 (the current patron is

Princess Michael of Kent Princess Michael of Kent (born Baroness Marie-Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz, 15 January 1945) is a member of the British royal family of German, Austrian, Czech and Hungarian descent. She is married to Prince Michael of Kent, ...

). In 1867 Mrs. Madeline Marrable, a prolific watercolourist and oil painter, joined the committee.

Society of Lady Artists (c 1869 – 1899)

The Society's earliest records were lost or destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

at the Society's headquarters at 195 Piccadilly, London (the Society's catalogues and remaining papers dating from 1929 are now housed in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

Library). As a result, there is some debate as to exactly when the Society was renamed from the SFA to the SLA. Secondary sources of reference suggest 1869, whereas other sources suggest it was 1873. In 1886, Marrable became the first president of the society. In 1899, the mid-Victorian persona was discarded and the 20th century was embraced by the society with a new name, the Society of Women Artists (SWA).

Society of Women Artists (1899–present)

The society has had many notable artists among its members. Dame Laura Knight, the first woman Royal Academician, was elected president in 1932 and retained that office until she retired in 1968 to become a Patron. Illustrator Mabel Lucie Atwell and Suzanne Lucas, past President of the Society of Botanical Artists and the first woman president of Royal Miniature Society (now known as Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers), were also members. Current members include

Daphne Todd Daphne Todd OBE (born 27 March 1947) is an English artist who was the first female President of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters from 1994–2000, and who won the BP Portrait Award 2010 with a painting of her 100-year-old mother's corpse. ...

, the first female president of the

Royal Society of Portrait Painters The Royal Society of Portrait Painters is a charity based at Carlton House Terrace, SW1, London that promotes the practice and appreciation of portraiture. Its Annual Exhibition of portraiture is held at Mall Galleries, and it runs a commissi ...

from 1994 to 2000 and winner of the

BP Portrait Award The BP Portrait Award is an annual portraiture competition held at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England. It is the successor to the John Player Portrait Award. It is the most important portrait prize in the world, and is reputedly ...

2010, portraitist June Mendoza, and Philomena Davidson, first woman president of the

Royal British Society of Sculptors The Royal Society of Sculptors is a British charity established in 1905 which promotes excellence in the art and practice of sculpture. Its headquarters are a centre for contemporary sculpture on Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London. It ...

. Many SWA members are also members of other well-established societies, such as the Royal Society of British Artists, the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours,

The Pastel Society The Pastel Society is an art society, based in London, which promotes the use of pastel painting in contemporary art, through exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations and lectures. The Pastel Society is a registered charity in England, registered ...

, and the Society of Equestrian Artists. The SWA collated a four-volume dictionary of the society's exhibitors to 1996. The society's archive was given to the

Victoria & Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

's Archive of Art and Design in 1996. Only the RA and the Royal Scottish Academy produce such records.

Membership

Membership of the SWA is composed of a maximum of 150 members. They promote new artists and encourage non-members to show their work at their annual exhibition. The first step towards becoming a member is to submit six works regularly (although a maximum of four will be hung) for the Annual Open Exhibition. These are considered by a selection committee, and if judged exceptional, the artist is elected to become an associate member (ASWA), subject to space within the society. Associate members become eligible for election to full membership in the following year.

Presidents

* 1886–1912 Madeline Marrable * 1913–1915

Mary Pownall Mary Pownall, later Mary Bromet, (1862–1937) was a British sculptor. She was active from 1890 until 1937 and was particularly associated with Watford. Biography Pownall was born in Leigh in Lancashire in 1862. In the 1890s she was living in Bi ...

* 1916 Probably Beth Amoore * 1917–1922 Lota Bowen * 1923–1931 Charlotte Blakeney Ward * 1932–1967

* 1968–1976 Lady Muriel Wheeler * 1977–1982 Alice Rebecca Kendall * 1982–1985 Gladys Dawson * 1985–2000 Barbara Tate * 2000–2005 Elizabeth R. Meek, MBE, HPRMS, FRSA * 2005–2012 Barbara Penketh Simpson * 2012–2017 Sue Jelley * 2017–2020

Soraya French Soraya French (born 1957) is an Iranian artist known for her vivid use of colour in acrylic based multimedia and she has produced six books ''30 Minute Acrylics'', and ''Dynamic Acrylics'' and an instructional DVD. Work She is a regular contri ...

* 2020– Dr Linda Smith

Acting presidents

* 1932–1933 Dorothea Sharp * 1934–1936 Helen Stuart Weir * 1937–1939 Constance Bradshaw * 1940 Ethel Léontine Gabain * 1947–1948 Dorothea Medley Selous (aka. Jamieson) * 1949–1950 Irene Ryland * 1951–1967 Lady Muriel Wheeler * 1973–1976 Alice R. Kendall

Notable members

(In alphabetical order, excluding SWA presidents or acting presidents, listed above) * Margaret Backhouse * Rose Maynard Barton * Jose Christopherson * Florence Claxton * Edith Collier * Lillian Cotton * Helga von Cramm * Ursula Fookes * Frances C. Fairman * Laura Sylvia Gosse * Alice Gwendoline Rhona Haszard *

Cecil Mary Leslie Cecil Mary Leslie (1900–1980) was an engraver, portrait painter, sculptor and illustrator. Biography Leslie was born in London and studied at the Heatherley School of Fine Art in 1919 and then at the London School of Photolithography and Eng ...

* Sarah Louisa Kilpack *

Vivien Mallock Vivien Mallock FRBS (born 8 May 1945) is an English sculptor who works mainly in bronze. Her career started at the Museum of Army Flying in Hampshire where she sculpted several celebrated World War II fighter pilots, including John Cunningham, ...

* June Mendoza *

Sara Page Sara Wells Page (1855–1943) was a British artist, portrait and figurative painter, of the Victorian and Edwardian period. During her lifetime she was widely exhibited at Parisian salons and British galleries, including the Royal Academy of Ar ...

* Emily Murray Paterson * Hazel Reeves * Janet Russell * Mabel Mary Spanton * Elizabeth Southerden Thompson *

Helen Thornycroft Helen Thornycroft (1848 – 11 November 1937) was an English painter and watercolourist of the Victorian era. Biography Born in London, she was a member of the Thornycroft family of sculptors, which included her maternal grandfather John Fr ...

Flora Twort Flora Caroline Twort (24 June 1893 – 1985) was an English painter who specialised in watercolours and pastels of the scenes and people of Petersfield, Hampshire. Twort was born in Yeovil, Somerset; her parents were Albert Samuel Twort a ...

Emily Warren Emily Warren Schwartz (born August 25, 1992) is an American singer and songwriter signed to the label Prescription Songs. She is best known for the songs she has written for several high-profile pop artists, including Backstreet Boys, The Cha ...

* Mabel Wickham *

Caroline Fanny Williams Caroline Fanny Williams (1836–1921) was an English landscape painter during the Victorian era, and a member of the Williams family of painters. Caroline Fanny Williams was born on 25 December 1836 in St. Marylebone, London. Her father George ...

Officers

President * Dr Linda Smith Vice Presidents * Rosemary Miller SAA *Helen Sinclair * Directors *

* Dani Humberstone * Sue Jelley PPSWA SPF * Rosemary Miller SAA Honorary Treasurer * Rachel Parker SWA Company Secretary * Rosemary Miller SAA Executive Secretary * Rebecca Cotton Press Officer *

Council Members * Anne Blankson-Hemans *Sera Knight *Rachel Parker *Rosalind Robinson * Helen Sinclair * Dr Linda Smith * Diane Urwin *Rosalind Robinson Honorary Members * Philomena Davidson PPRBS * June Mendoza AO OBE RP ROI * Ruth Pilkington ROI * Susan Ryder PVPRP NEAC * Emma Sergeant * Daphne J. Todd OBE PPRP NEAC FRSA * Belinda Tong * Joyce Wyatt HonUA ASAF(HC) FRSA Honorary Retired Members * Eva Castle * Pamela Davis * Mary Grant * Pam Henderson * Patricia Nichols * Joyce Rogerson * Dorothy Watts

Activities

Annual exhibition

The society holds various exhibitions throughout the year, culminating in the annual exhibition at the

Mall Galleries Mall commonly refers to a: * Shopping mall * Strip mall * Pedestrian street * Esplanade Mall or MALL may also refer to: Places Shopping complexes * The Mall (Sofia) (Tsarigradsko Mall), Sofia, Bulgaria * The Mall, Patna, Patna, Bihar, India * ...

in London. The exhibition consists of works by members and non-members, which are selected by a panel from an open call for entries. The exhibition offers awards to selected artists, many of which are supplied by the Society's sponsors, and aims to highlight the wide range and diversity of fine art created by women. Exhibition venues since the inception of the SFA have always been in London – listed below: * 1857 The Gallery, 315 Oxford Street * 1858 & 1859 Unknown * 1860–1863 53 Pall mall * 1863–1867 48 Pall Mall * 1868–1896 Initially held at the Architectural Association, Conduit Street, with other venues, probably at Great Marlborough Street, the Haymarket, Pall Mall, and at the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly. * 1897–1922 6a Suffolk Street, with the exception of the years 1912 to 1914 and 1919. * 1923–1940 Royal Institute Galleries * 1941–1946 No exhibitions were held during World War II * 1947 The Guildhall * 1948–1969 Royal Institute Galleries * 1970 Chenil Galleries * 1971–1987 The Mall Galleries * 1988–1989 Westminster Gallery * 2000–2003 Westminster Hall * 2004– The Mall Galleries *2020 The exhibition this year was held online due to COVID-19 restrictions

Special reception

The SWA has a history of collaborating with charities to help with the under-privileged and vulnerable. Currently, the SWA collaborates with Breast Cancer Now, the UK's largest breast cancer charity, created by the merger of Breast Cancer Campaign and Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Each year a special reception is held during the annual exhibition, here members donate works that are auctioned and the proceeds from the sales are presented to the charity.

Demonstrations and workshops

During the annual exhibition and within the gallery, member artists provide a series of informal demonstrations to the public. Special workshops are also led by members and held within the Learning Centre at the Mall Galleries.

References

Sources

* ''Barbara Tate and the Society Of Women Artists''
www.barbaratate.co.uk/painting-menu/23-fine-art-stories/150-society-of-women-artists.html
retrieved 01-01-2017 * Baile De Laperriere, Charles, ''The Society of Women Artists exhibitors 1855–1996 : a dictionary of artists and their works in the annual exhibitions of The Society of Women Artists'', 4 volumes, Hilmarton Press, Wiltshire, c1996 * Gray, Sara, ''The Dictionary of British Women Artists'', The Lutterworth Press, 2009
www.lutterworth.com/pub/dictionary%20women%20artists%20intro.pdf
retrieved 01-01-2017 * ''Just Opened London''
Society of Women Artists
retrieved 01-01-2017 * Nunn, Pamela Geraldine
''The Mid-Victorian Woman Artist 1850–1879''
PhD Thesis, University College London, 1982 * ''The Society of Women Artists 155th Annual Exhibition 2016 catalogue''

External links

Society of Women Artists
{{Authority control British art Art societies British artist groups and collectives 1855 establishments in the United Kingdom Arts organizations established in 1855 Women's organisations based in the United Kingdom Women in art