Artists Files: Royal Society of British Sculptors
Type: Archival document
Collection Physical Description: The Society has files on all its current members but less systematically for past-members. Past-members' files' content records more than 12,600 items from 542 files so far. Unfortunately we have very little on the original members. The most famous ones have a biography, article or book's reference and/or some photographs taken by myself. There is the exception of the two first female sculptors elected in 1922: Christine Gregory (85 photographs; 1 catalogue description; 1 press-cutting; 5 letters; Listing of the archive, 2006; Correspondence, 1963, 1991) and Lady Feodora Gleichen (Album revised and published by Lady Valda MACHELL, September 1950; M. H. Spielmann, British sculptors of today, London, 1901, pp. 18-19; 'London exhibitions' in Art Journal, 1907, p. 43; The Studio, vol. 36, 1906, p. 86; B. Read, Victorian Sculpture, New Haven and London, 1982, p. 355). But otherwise there is nothing on the most obscure ones. Their records are becoming more or less consistent with members elected in 1929 with again few gaps. Originally members at that time had to provide 6 than later 10 photographs of their works to the Society's office for commission purpose. And before that, their photographs were compiled in to an album which has disappeared. Most of the time there are correspondence letters related to the Society's membership/business, sometimes there are list of works, but frequently even after 1950 nothing has been kept because of the lack of space and because deceased or retired members files had no use for the Society's business. From 1970s, past-member's files contain at least six slides or photographs (or digital pictures from 2000), curriculum vitae or a statement, some correspondence letters, some press cuttings and/or a catalogue. Members are being encouraged to update their files but of course only few of them are doing it.
Collection Context: Royal Society of British Sculptors, London
Citing this record
'Artists Files: Royal Society of British Sculptors', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/reference.php?id=ann_1232143744, accessed 02 Dec 2020]
