ROYAL SOCIETY OF MINIATURE PAINTERS, SCULPTORS AND GRAVERS
Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers was founded in 1896, for the promotion of the art of miniature painting and allied crafts. The Society's inaugural exhibition, held in 1896 in the Modern Gallery, was the first to be devoted exclusively to contemporary miniatures and was an immediate success and King Edward VII granted the society a Royal Charter on 30 May 1904 when it was known as the Royal Miniature Society or RMS. In 1926 the Society embraced other forms of miniature art including sculpture and printmaking. Its annual exhibition is open to non-members and is held in November or December at the Mall Galleries. Exhibits include works in illuminating, engraving, sculpture, modelling, carving and gem work in addition to miniature paintings. The Society has known several homes including the Arlington Gallery, from which it was removed by a bomb to the RWS Galleries; the Alpine Gallery and the Federation of British Artists at the RBA Galleries. In 1971 the Federation moved to the Mall Galleries and in 1987 the Society transferred to the Westminster Galleries. There it remained and celebrated its Hundredth Anniversary in November 1995 with a special Exhibition opened by the Earl of Gowrie. It hosted the first ever World Exhibition of Miniatures and showed its valuable Diploma Collection for the first time.