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Corresponding members were first elected in 1755. Benjamin Franklin being one of the earliest.

Contains the minutes and papers of the following committees; the Membership Committee, the Regional Activities Committee and the Fellowship Committee.

In his lecture 'Humour in Art' given to the Society in February 1949, H M Bateman had proposed a permanent National Gallery of Humorous Art, in which to display the many original drawings of published comic art, which currently languished in back offices, or in corners of studios, and never seen by the public. \nAs a tentative beginning the Society, at the suggestion of its Chairman of Council, Sir Harry Lindsay KCIE, CBE, organised a temporary exhibition of 162 drawings of the work of more than fifty artists, ranging from Rowlandson and Gillray, to Osbert Lancaster and E H Shepard, Emett and Giles. With the help of Kenneth Bird, the editor of Punch, H M Bateman and Anna Zinkeisen, RDI, the Society was able to arrange an interesting display in the Society's Library (located at this time in what is now the Benjamin Franklin Room), which was open to the public free of charge.\nEncouraged by the steady flow of visitors, by the end of the second week 7,091 people had visited the exhibition, including HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (President, RSA 1952-2011) and The Duchess of Kent. The Council decided to postpone the closing day until Saturday 13 August, and to extend the daily opening hours to 6.30pm on weekdays, including Saturdays and the August Bank Holiday. 14,000 people had passed through the doors by the end of the exhibition, and as there was still a great public interest, the Society was able to arrange for the exhibition to travel round the country from October 1949 to April 1950, showing at Hove, Coventry, Salford, Preston, Liverpool, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Lincoln, Hull and Leicester. It has been estimated that a further 40,000 people saw it in the course of this tour. The exhibition also received press coverage worldwide in newspapers and magazines such as Picture Post, Illustrated London News, The Spectator and two pages in the BBC Arabic News. Coverage also featured in television and cinema newsreels. But in spite of all this interest Bateman's original idea for a National Gallery of Humorous Art never came to life.\n\nRecords include correspondence and papers about arrangements for the exhibition, a catalogue and printed material and photographs

The Exhibition was held in the galleries of the Royal Academy and was organised jointly by the RSA and the Royal Academy. The objects of the exhibition were to 'impress upon the public the importance of good design in articles of everyday use; to show that British manufacturers, in co-operation with British artists, are capable of producing in all branches of industry, articles which combine artistic form with utility and sound workmanship; to encourage British artists to give to industry the benefit of their talent and training so that the objects with which we are surrounded in our daily lives may have an appearance which is not only attractive but is based on genuinely artistic principles'. The exhibition was held under Royal Patronage and with the active participation of HRH the Prince of Wales as President of the General Committee\n\nRecords comprise photographs and copy photographs of items displayed at the Exhibition

The Society held an exhibition of Indian art in 1962. It was opened by the Indian Prime Minister, Nehru. This series includes photographs of Nehru at the opening.

One of the original subject-based committees set up by the Society from 1754 to judge awards and premiums offered by the Society in the 'Polite. (ie Fine) Arts'\n\nSeries includes minutes of the committee, correspondence about awards and attendance at and structure of committee. Also includes examples of prints, drawings, engravings and other works of art submitted for award between 1758 and 1845. Additional correspondence to the committee is also included within the Guard Book series at PR/GE/110

This is a series of images were collected or purchased to support research work into the archive. They include copies of some prize-winning prints and drawings ( see also PR.AR/103)

The Fourth Plinth project was initiated by RSA past Chairman Prue Leith. The RSA's central aims in this initiative were to: use the plinth to display works of art after the 150 year deadlock; raise the level of debate about the nature of public art today; and inform decisions about the plinth's permanent use. The project was co-ordinated by the RSA.\n\nAll files were appraised and routine correspondence removed.\n\nThe series consists of the administrative records from the initiation of discussions about the empty plinth to the the display of the scupltures: Ecce Homo by Mark Wallinger, Regardless of History by Bill Woodrow and Monument by Rachel Whiteread.

The Art for Architecture scheme, managed by the RSA, was a collaborative initiative with the Department of National Heritage. It was established with core funding from the Department of the Environment and restricted only to England initial. In 1992, the scheme was extended to Scottish applicants due to Scottish Office funding and similarly to Welsh applicants in 1993 due to Welsh Office funding. The scheme also had a number of private sponsors. Its objective was to enhance the urban environment by encouraging cross disciplinary approaches to building and landscape projects by appointing and providing funds for artists to work as part of a design team from the earliest stages of a development. Michael Wrotesley, DOE, conceived the idea, which stemmed from RSA Student Design Awards. The scheme has been operating since 1990.\n\nDirectly related to the Scheme was the Jerwood Art for Architecture Award. The Award is a financial reward, sponsored by The Jerwood Foundation, to recognise the project which on completion represents both excellence in artistic quality and design and best practice in collaboration. It was presented to the artist and architect, landscape engineer, who are working together. The Jerwood Award was introduced in 1994.\n\nRecords include administrative correspondence, printed items and publicity material, and photographs.

A joint project of the RSA and the ABO Trust in association with the Esmee Fairbairn Charitable Trust. A study to find out whether the printed programmes produced by orchestras, venues and promoters in the UK could be more effective at engaging and informing audiences. 1994-1998

The Society held a number of small art exhibitions at John Adam Street. Some of these were in aid of the formation of a National gallery of British Art

The Society administered a series of arts scholarships, particularly music and dance from the 1970s to 1990. These were merged into an arts committee which looked at general arts policy\nRecords comprise administrative correspondence and papers

The records of the Free Society of Artists were deposited with the Society after it ended its own art exhibitions in 1764.\nRecords include minutes of a committee and printed catalogues of exhibitions

This competition was a partnership between the RSA, Boosey & Hawkes and Classic FM. It arose out of Classic FM's Masterclass series for secondary schools. It was an exercise in linking the creativity of composers with the needs of young players to remedy the fact that few developments in musical style had filtered down to what was available for young orchestras and choirs to perform. The competition was launched nationwide on Classic FM and in other music media in the autumn of 1993 with entries to be in by March 1994. This was a 'one-off' venture.\n\nFiles in this series are the entries for the competition. While most files contain an entry for, composition description, cassette recording of the composition and accompanying correspondence.

The Society acquired or were presented ith drawings, etchings, engravings and prints which were not produced as a direct result of the Polite Arts premium scheme

The scheme began in 1924 as the Competition of Industrial Design; this later became the Industrial Art Bursaries Competition (1946), the Design Bursaries Competition (1977), the Student Design Awards (1989/90), Design Directions (2003) and back to the Student Design AwardS in (2010). This is a project based award scheme for students of design which is judged by leaders in design and business. Its aims to bring promising students to the attention of the industry, to help students near the end of their education to sharpen their ability to contribute within a commercial setting, to influence design education by directing the attention of students to areas not necessarily covered in their course, and to give winning students the opportunity of industrial work experience or travel to further their design careers.\n\nIn addition to the travel and attachment awards given under each separate section of the competition, there were a number of special awards given to recognise winning students either for a particular feature of their winning entry, or some other criteria allied to the special award. These awards ran at different stages of the competition and each award ran for a different length of time. The special awards offered in a particular year were usually recorded in the project book and review/ report for that year. The winners of these awards were normally announced at a later date than the main competition results and therefore winners were only occasionally mentioned in the annual review/ report books. Where it is known that an additional award was won by a student, this is recorded on the individual's record. \n\nThese prizes included (this list is not complete):\n' Associateship of the RSA (winners of travel or attachment awards were also entitled to a year's free Fellowhsip of the RSA if they were over 25, and a year's free Associateship if they were under 25)\n' The Jacobs Memorial Award Certificate (for the student who submitted the best study tour report both in terms of content and presentation) \n' Alyson Leslie Award (this was first offered in 1992/93 and was awarded to the writer of the report which, in the view of Alyson Leslie, communicated to the reader most effectively how they used the award, what benefits they derived from it and how it would influence their future career)\n' Sir Frank Warner Memorial Medal (this medal commemorated the initiation of the original Competition of Industrial Design by Frank Warner. It was awarded for the best individual textile design. This medal was linked to the Sir Ernest Goodale Memorial Award) \n' Sir Ernest Goodale Memorial Award (this award was established by The Worshipful Company of Weavers in memory of Sir Ernest Goodale who was chairman of the RSA Design Committee. The award was given to the winner of the Sir Frank Memorial Medal to enable them to travel further afield)\n\n' The Whittington Award (this award was sponsored by the Mercers' Company and given to the entry that best demonstrated an understanding and appropriateness in their design on the theme, 'Design for Export')\n' The Master's Medal (this medal was presented by the Master of the RDI Faculty to the student who, in the opinion of the Master, solved the problem set out in any brief in the most practical, elegant and commercially viable manner)\n' The Chartered Society of Designers Student Medal (beginning in 1988/89, a silver medal was awarded to an outstanding student in each of the Chartered Society's design disciplines)\n' Wally Olins Opportunity Award (started in 2001/02 this award was for the student who most eloquently made a case for the use of the money to add value to the design business as a whole) \n' British Airways Flight Awards (a certain number of point to point flights within Europe were given to students who won travel awards)\n' The BIB Design Consultants Attachment and European Travel Award (the winner of this award was selected from short-listed students entering any of the industrial/ product design sections)\n' The BIB Travel Award to the United States (started in 1988/89, the winner of this award was selected from short-listed students entering any of the industrial/ product design sections who would most benefit from visiting the USA)\n' Deryck Healey International Colour Bursary Award (this was awarded to the student who demonstrated the impact of colour in a way which was exceptionally appropriate to consumer needs)\n' Formica Award (Formica Limited offered money for a well-planned study tour for the candidate who made the most appropriate and imaginative use of Formica Products in their solution to a project within the Student Design Awards)\n' The Kodak Photographic Award (this was given to students in specified sections of the competition who answered the brief in predominantly photographic terms.\n\n\nRecords include administrative files and correspondence, minutes of various committees, printed material including annual reports, publicity material and photographs of a small selection of winning designs.

The distinction of Royal Designers for Industry (RDI) was created by the RSA in 1936 to enhance the status of designers in industry and encourage a high standard of industrial design. The distinction is conferred upon 'citizens of the United Kingdom, who have attained eminence in creative design for industry'. Only 100 designers are able to hold the distinction at any one time and it is regarded as the highest honour to be obtained in the United Kingdom in the fields of industrial design. In addition, the RSA confers upon a limited number of distinguished international industrial designers the award of Honorary Royal Designer for Industry (HonRDI).\nThe Faculty of Royal Designer's for Industry was formed in 1938 as the association of RDI's with the object of furthering the excellence of design and its application to industrial purposes. The Faculty's affairs are presided over by a Master who serves for two years, he is assisted by a Deputy Master who is Master Elect.\nNew appointments are made after consideration by the Faculty and a Joint Panel (comprised of the Faculty and the RSA's Council). Appointments are then ratified by the RSA's full Council.\n\nRecords include administrative correspondence and files including some information on members, minutes of committee meetings, printed items and publicity material and photographs\n

Instituted in 1954 as a permanent commemoration of the Society's Bicentenary. Bicentenary Medal is awarded to a person, who, in a manner other than an industrial designer, has exerted exceptional influence in promoting art and design in British industry. The recipient may or may not be a designer, the medal recognises the influence which extends beyond the winner's own design work.\n\nThe Design Advisory Group select a suitable recipient for ratification by the Council's Executive Committee on behalf of the full RSA Council.

In 1986 Lady Hamlyn initiated the New Design for Old project, within the RSA’s Student Design Awards scheme, which encourages students to consult older users in the design process. This series comprises a teaching pack for design students