Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce

In 1753, William Shipley – a little-known drawing master in Northampton – had the idea of stimulating industry by means of prizes funded by public-spirited people.

Shipley produced two leaflets: "Proposals for raising by subscription a fund to be distributed in Premiums for the promoting of improvements in the liberal arts and sciences, manufactures, etc."

After months of canvassing Shipley called the first meeting, which was held at Rawthmell's Coffee House,[3] at 25 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden on 22 March 1754.

One of the Society’s greatest achievements in the nineteenth century was its close involvement with establishing The Great Exhibition of 1851 in London.

Prince Albert was president of the Society when, in 1845, he suggested to some of the members the idea of "forming in England great Periodical Exhibitions of the Products of Industry."

They ranged from deciding whether the proposal for an award had more than local or temporary significance, to determining whether a written account, drawings or even a model was required as a permanent record.

By 1764 the organisation for handling prize entries and awards had almost become an industry in its own right: the offers published that year filled 91 pages of text and comprised 380 classes in which to compete.

[13] K W Luckhurst, MA – the then secretary to the RSA – described in his 1949 paper the many successes flowing from the awards, including reafforestation and the invention of mechanical devices.