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Mermaid Street, Rye, one of the most beautiful and well known thoroughfares in England, is in the heart of the citadel of Rye, an area of cobbled streets which has been a Conservation Area since the Civic Amenities Act of 1967. In 1985, as a result of representations by the Rye Conservation Society to the East Sussex County Council and the ministry of Transport, the parking of cars was prohibited in the street and the need for unsightly yellow lines waived. 29,500 copies sold.

Taken from a rare mezzotint from the Society's collection. At 20 years of age Lawrie received a bounty of 30 guineas in 1776 from the Society for 'disclosing his method of printing mezzotint in colour'. Lawrie copied the bird form one brought back by Captain Cook in the previous year at the conclusion of his second great voyage of discovery.

Shows a prize giving ceremony in the Great Room. 23,000 copies sold.

Taken from Dickinson's 'Pictures of the Great Exhibition 1851', a copy of which is held in the RSA archive. Scene shows the revolving lighthouse in the foreground and further back the Ross telescope. The idea of the exhibition originated with members of the then Society of Arts, including Francis Whishaw, Secretary from 1843 to 1845 and Henry Cole. Both were involved in the planning of the exhibition and the concept was championed by Prince Albert, then President of the Society. It was largely his influence which led to government backing for the exhibition as an international event. As such it became too large for the Society to be directly involved and responsibility passed to a Royal Commission. 28,000 copies sold.

The inital letter and opening words of Chapter Two of Saint Matthew's Gospel, together with a wood engraving showing the three wise men with the Virgin and child. Typography, engraving and design are by Eric Gill and form part of The Four Gospels, produced by the Golden Cockrel Press in 1931. 17,000 copies sold

Transfer drawing in pen and watercolour by Thomas Bewick for the engraving in his History of British Birds Vol I. 1797. Several hundred of such preparatory drawings and watercolours have survived and many are considered outstanding in their own right. The drawing is in the collection in the British Museum. In 1767 Bewick became apprenticed to Ralph Bielby of Newcastle upon Tyne and so commenced his career as a wood engraver. He received a premium or prize from the Society for engravings to illustrate a book of fables published in 1776. On being given the choice of a gold medal or seven guineas he chose the latter and presented it to his mother. Several of his pupils later also gained premiums. a fact of which he was very proud. 21,000 copies sold.

Fifth painting in a series entitled 'The Progress of Human Knowledge and Culture', displayed in the Great Room. It depicts officers and members of the Society distributing its awards to encourage arts, manufactures and commerce in the presence of the then Prince of Wales, later George IV. Beyond is an idealised representation of the river front of Somerset House and the dome of St Pauls. In the centre, a young female prizewinner is being presented to the Duchess of Northumberland by Mrs Montagu, and the Duchess of Rutland and Devonshire are grouped behing them, a reminder that membership of the Society was from its earliest years open to women. The founder of the Society is seated bottom left. 15,000 copies sold

Produced for 'Iron Men and Wooden Ships' published by Doubleday, 1924. Reproduced by kind permission of Mrs Perry Wilson Anthony. Edward Wilson was a fellow of the Society and a prolific illustrator. He was born in Glasgow but emigrated to the United States where he worked first as a painter and engraver in Chicago and New York. He also studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and under Howard Pyle at Wilmington. 12,000 copies sold

The volume of prints from which this image is taken has been in the possession of the Society since it was first published. The Society is listed among the subscribers to the work, which would have been of particular relevance given its longstanding interest in printing (it regularly gave prizes for good examples of this craft). In a letter dated 13 March 1833, Lear wrote :'I have received from the Society a sheet of transferring lithographic paper, desiring my opinion of its suitableness for that purpose, and had I been at all accustomed to practice transferring, I should have felt very glad to have given it. As however I understand nothing of that part of the art of Lithography I have taken it to Mr Hullmandel.' Charles Hullmandel, the printer of 'Illustrations', received a silver medal from the Society in 1819 'for a lithographic drawing'. Lear was given permission to draw from life the parrots belonging to the Zoological Society of London. 18,000 copies sold.

Mr Davis's Chimney Brush was awarded the Society's Silver medal in 1806. In a letter dated 17 October 1806, B M Forster, who witnessed its original use and signed a certificate of approbation wrote :'I am convinced that chimnies may be swept as cleanly and effectually, as is commonly done with climbing-boys, so that the difference to the families who employ your machine will be, that they have the same comfort of a clean chimney, and are satisfied that they no longer use a method which is full of horrors and a disgrace to a civilised country'. The illustration of Joseph Davis's invention is taken from the Transaction of the Society, Vol XXV (1807). He received a number of other awards from the Society for his household inventions. Figures A are four brushes for sweeping the four sides of the chimney; figures B show two of the four springs which expand the machine to chimnies of all sizes; C represents the brush at the top of the machine proper for cleansing the pots; figures D show four lines to draw the brushes near together by a cord E, so that the machine may be forced up the chimney with greater facility. F shows the string to expand the brushes when the machine is at the top of the flue. 16,000 copies sold.

Janne Solvang won an RSA Student Design Award in 1994 for her design to promote the Byzantine Art exhibition at the British Museum. She was asked by the RSA to design a Christmas card that would convey a rich and celebratory atmosphere reiniscent of her project work for the British Museum. The RSA Student Design Awards scheme aims to bridge the gap between education and industry. Each year around 3000 students enter the scheme which is supported by over 100 companies. 76,000 copies sold.

Part of a sheet set of designs that won a travel award in the 1996 RSA Student Design Awards Scheme for the Postage Stamp brief: 'It's Christmas'. The RSA Student Design Awards scheme celebrates the benefits that industry and education can bring to each other. Each year approximately 3000 students enter the scheme which is supported by commercial companies, trust funds, the European Commission and individuals

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Part of a set of designs that was highly commended in the 1996 RSA Student Design Awards Scheme for the Postage Stamp brief:'It's Christmas'. The RSA Student Design Awards scheme celebrates the benefits that industry and education can bring to each other. Each year approximately 3000 students enter the scheme which is supported by commercial companies, trust funds, the European Commission and individuals. 15,000 copies sold

The illustration of the Red Amaryllis appears in the fifth volume of the Transactions of the Horticultural Society, presented to the Society in 1824. From its foundation in 1754 the RSA took a strong interest in plants and planting, ranging from its major tree planting campaign in the 18th century; improvement of land for planting; production of food crops for both man and beast, such as potatoes, carrots, apples etc.; to medicinal plants such as opium and rhubarb. The Society also encourage the development of botanical gardens in Britain's colonies to raise viable plants, including spices, for transportation between the colonies and the United Kingdom. in recent time the Amaryllis has become a popular Christmas gift, flowering in the months thereafter. 9,680 copies sold

Illustration taken from 'Sketches Towards a Hortus Botanicus Americanus...of New and Valuable Plants of the West Indies and North and South America' by W J Titford MD Corresponding member of the Society of Arts, 1812. The Society encouraged the development of the Botanic Garden at St Vincent, where Captain William Bligh left some tropical fruits, including breadfruit for which he was awarded the Society gold medal in 1794.

English Holly, Ilex aquifolium, photographed in the New Forest, Hampshire, one afternoon in late December by Andrea Jones, FRSA

Taken from a bas-relief in marble by Ernst Rietchel, a renowned 19th century European sculptor. 'The Angel is represented in the form of a graceful youth floating in the air with the infant saviour in his arms; two infant Angels attend his course. This group has a peculiar charm from the beauty of the heads and figures, the grace of the action, the suddenness of the movement impressed on the flying drapery, and the masterly yet tender handling of the marble'. Extract from the jurors commentary in the Art Journal Illustrated Catalogue of the Great Exhibition of 1851.