CHAPTER XX
Pall Mall, South Side, Past Buildings
The Royal Academy
Occupied part of the site of the United Service Club
The foundation of the Royal Academy of Arts
in 1768 was preceded by a period of some twenty
years of dissension among the London artists of
the time, during which several unsuccessful
attempts were made to establish such a body.
As early as 1749 the Society of Dilettanti met
at the King's Arms in Pall Mall and considered a
proposal for the foundation of an academy for
artists. (ref. 1) Whether the proposal came from a member of the society or from someone outside is not
known, but nothing resulted from the discussion.
In 1755 a group of artists approached the society
with a 'Plan of an Academy for the better Cultivation, Improvement, and Encouragement of
Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, and the Arts of
Design in General', which was enthusiastically
received. Among the proposers of the plan were
John Astley, Richard Dalton, James Paine, (Sir)
Joshua Reynolds, Nicholas Revett, James Stuart
and (Sir) Robert Taylor; Revett and Stuart were
both members of the Society of Dilettanti. The
plan foundered on the question of control of the
proposed academy, the society wishing to have
the right to elect the academy's presidents, and the
artists being unwilling to forgo this power. (ref. 2)
On 5 November 1759, a proposal was made at
a meeting of artists at the Foundling Hospital
that an annual exhibition should be held 'in order
to encourage Artists whose Abilities and Attainments may justly raise them to Distinction and
that their several Abilitys may be brought to Public View'. A general meeting was held soon
afterwards at the Turk's Head Tavern, Gerrard
Street, and a committee was appointed to make
arrangements. The committee included (Sir)
Joshua Reynolds, Francis Hayman, Richard
Wilson, Richard Dalton, (Sir) William Chambers,
George Michael Moser, Richard Yeo, Francis
Milner Newton and Nathaniel Hone, who were
all associated later with the Royal Academy. It
was resolved that works by painters, sculptors,
architects, engravers, seal-cutters, chasers, and
medallists could be submitted to the exhibition and
admission should cost a shilling. The charge for
admission was intended to procure money for distribution amongst needy artists. (ref. 3)
The first exhibition was held in 1760 at the
rooms of the Society of Arts, then in the Strand,
but the society refused to allow the artists to
charge for admission so sixpence was charged for
catalogues. (ref. 4) In the following year some of the
artists refused to exhibit at the same time as candidates for the premiums awarded by the Society
of Arts, and as they also wished to impose a charge
for admission (ref. 5) they agreed with a Mr. Cock for
the use of his room in Spring Gardens, (ref. 6) where they
held their exhibitions from 1761 to 1772. (ref. 7) In
1765 they obtained a royal charter and became
the Incorporated Society of Artists of Great
Britain. (ref. 5)
The other artists held a separate exhibition at
the rooms of the Society of Arts in 1761 and in
the following year they formed themselves into
the Free Society of Artists. (ref. 8) They subsequently
exhibited at Mr. Christie's (see page 297) and the
society came to an end in 1778 (ref. 9) or 1783. (ref. 10)
Within two or three years of the grant of the
charter dissension appears to have arisen among the
members of the Incorporated Society of Artists,
the two factions being led by James Paine and (Sir)
William Chambers. Paine gained control of the
society and Chambers decided to form a new and
pre-eminent body. (ref. 11) He was able to enlist the
support of George III, to whom he was at the
time Architect of the Works, and whose tutor in
architecture he had been. (ref. 12)
In November 1768 Chambers waited upon the
King 'and informed him that many Artists of
reputation together with himself, were very
desirous of establishing a Society that should more
effectually promote the Arts of Design than any
yet established, but that they were sensible their
Design could not be carried into Execution without his Majesty's Patronage'. (ref. 13) The King
answered 'that whatever tended effectually to
promote the liberal Arts, might always rely upon
his Patronage' and invited Chambers to prepare a
memorial. On 28 November 1768 a memorial
was submitted to the King by the 'Painters, Sculptors and Architects of this Metropolis' which
stated that their two principal objects were 'the
establishing a well regulated School or Academy of
Design, for the use of Students in the Arts, and an
Annual Exhibition open to all Artists of distinguished Merit, where they may offer their Performances to public Inspection, and acquire that
degree of Reputation and Encouragement, which
they shall be deemed to deserve'. It was hoped that
the monies raised at the exhibitions would pay for
the school and 'we even flatter ourselves they will
be more than necessary for that Purpose and that
we shall be enable'd Annually to distribute somewhat in useful Charities'. Among the signatories
were several artists who had served on the committee for arranging the exhibition of 1760—Chambers himself, Yeo, Moser, Newton and
Hayman. (ref. 13) The instrument founding the 'Royal
Academy of Arts in London' was signed by
George III on 10 December 1768, the King
'graciously declaring himself the patron, protector,
and supporter thereof'. (ref. 14)
For the students of the Academy there were to
be classes held in the winter and summer to which
admission would be free. Students would be provided with living models, lay figures, and casts of
statues from which to draw and paint. The forty
Academicians—'artists of the first rank in their
several professions'—were to provide nine 'of the
ablest' to attend the schools by rotation, to advise
and instruct the students. In addition, four professors were to be appointed to give public lectures
annually, on painting, architecture, anatomy and
perspective. A library of books and prints was
also to be provided for the students' use, and a fund
established for the relief of indigent artists. (ref. 15)
The first home of the Royal Academy was in
Pall Mall, (ref. 15) on the south side facing Market Lane
(now the Royal Opera Arcade); the site is now
occupied by part of the United Service club-house.
The building (pocket, drawing B) had a wide
front, its ground storey being given over to two
double-fronted shops flanking the Academy entrance—an arched doorway dressed with columns
and entablature. The upper part, of simple Palladian design, contained two storeys, each with three
widely spaced windows. In the centre of the principal storey was a Venetian window and on either
side a tall sashed light, dressed with an architrave,
frieze and triangular pediment. The chamber-storey windows were almost square and framed
with architraves. Coney's street elevation shows
the front to have been simply finished with a plain
coping, above which appears the large lantern-light of one of the Academy's exhibition rooms.
A plan of 1760 (ref. 16) shows a wide central vestibule on
the ground floor, connected by a narrow passage
with a large room at the rear.
In 1765 Richard Dalton had acquired a sublease of this house, which had previously been
occupied by an auctioneer. (ref. 17) Richard Dalton
(1715?–1791) was trained as an artist and studied
in Rome. He visited the Near East and published
engravings of monuments of ancient art seen on
his travels. He became librarian to the Prince of
Wales (later George III), a post he retained on the
Prince's accession to the throne. (ref. 18) At his death he
was described as 'keeper of the pictures and antiquarian to his Majesty'. (ref. 19) Dalton was among the
proposers of the plan to found an academy in
1755, and was a member of the committee chosen
to arrange the exhibition at the Society of Arts in
1760. He also became treasurer of the Incorporated Society of Artists. (ref. 20) According to Sir
Robert Strange, the engraver, Dalton acquired the
house in Pall Mall with the idea of establishing a
print warehouse there, 'but being conducted without judgment and without taste, it soon proved
abortive'. (ref. 21)
(fn. a)
The print warehouse having failed, 'and anxious
to relieve himself of the great expense into which
it had involved him, Mr. Dalton, in conjunction
with some of his friends, formed a scheme to engage the King to establish an academy in these
rooms'. The King was interested, and in 1767 the
subscribers to the private academy in St. Martin's
Lane which had been founded by William
Hogarth (ref. 22) consented to the removal of their furniture, anatomical figures, busts and statues to the
rooms in Pall Mall. 'The label over the door containing the Print Warehouse was erased, and
another substituted in its place, viz. The Royal
Academy.' (ref. 21) Apart from the fact that students
were admitted by subscription, nothing else is
known of Dalton's short-lived academy. (ref. 23)
In 1768 part of Dalton's premises were taken
over by the Royal Academy, but no record of any
agreement between the parties seems to have survived. From a later lease it is known that the
Academy had the use of two exhibition rooms (a
'Great' or front one, and a back one), an office at
the stair head, one other room at the back and two
parlours all on the first floor, and two rooms on
the second floor, one of which was used to house
the library. The 'Great' exhibition room was
equipped with a fireplace with a Portland stone
chimneypiece and a Bath stove; it was hung with
green baize and lit by a skylight glazed with
ground glass on the south and west sides and with
Crown glass on the east and north (Plate 42a).
The back exhibition room also had a fireplace and
skylight but was wainscoted. (ref. 24)
The first meeting of the Royal Academy was
held in Pall Mall on 14 December 1768. (ref. 13) No
reference to Dalton occurs in the minutes, and at a
later meeting Chambers was thanked 'for his
Active and able Conduct in planning and forming
the Royal Academy'. (ref. 25) Whatever Dalton had to
do with its foundation was not, therefore, publicly acknowledged at the time, but his position in
the King's service and the use of his premises lends
some colour to Strange's implication that he was
very much concerned in it.
Chambers had been appointed treasurer by the
King himself but the other office holders were
elected by ballot of the Academicians. Reynolds
was elected as president, George Michael Moser,
keeper, and Francis Milner Newton, secretary;
Nathaniel Hone (see page 364) was a member of
the Council. (ref. 13) The four professorships were first
held by Edward Penny (painting), Thomas
Sandby (architecture), Dr. William Hunter
(anatomy), and Samuel Wale (perspective). (ref. 26)
Richard Dalton was appointed antiquary to the
Academy in 1770; at the same time Dr. Samuel
Johnson was appointed professor of ancient
literature and Oliver Goldsmith professor of
ancient history. (ref. 27)
Students who had 'already paid their Subscription to the Old [i.e. Dalton's] Academy in Pall
Mall' in 1768 were admitted to the Royal
Academy 'to draw this Season'. (ref. 23) At the beginning of 1771 the schools and the library were
moved from Pall Mall to Somerset House. (ref. 28) The
first annual exhibition of the Academy was held in
Dalton's rooms between 26 April and 27 May
1769. (ref. 29)
In 1771 Dalton assigned his lease to James
Christie, the auctioneer, who had occupied
premises further west in Pall Mall (see page 368)
since 1767 or 1768. No doubt because Christie
allowed the rival Free Society of Artists to exhibit at these other premises, a restrictive covenant
was inserted in his assignment. The covenant
safeguarded to the Academy the use of 'several
Rooms and Apartments . . . for the purpose of
making their Annual Exhibition' between 11
April and 30 May and prohibited 'any Exhibition
of Arts to be shown in the said Messuage . . . or
any matter or thing to be advertized under the
name or description of an Exhibition . . . by any
Person or Persons, whatsoever save and except the
Exhibition of the Artists belonging to the Royal
Academy'. (ref. 24) Christie also entered a bond for
£200 to perform these covenants. (ref. 30) The two
shops which formed part of Dalton's leasehold
were assigned at the same time (1771), one to
Lewis Secard, picture dealer, (ref. 31) and the other to
William Randall, bookseller. (ref. 32)
The Academy continued to hold its annual
exhibition in Pall Mall until 1779; in 1780 the
new rooms at Somerset House designed by Sir
William Chambers were ready for occupation,
and the annual exhibition was held there in that
year. (ref. 33)
It is not known how long Christie continued to
occupy the house in Pall Mall (see page 297);
Dalton continued to pay the rates until his death
in 1791.