Records of the annual dinner
RA Collection: Archive
Archive context
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Records of the annual dinner
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Reference code
RAA/SEC/25
Title
Records of the annual dinner
Date
1780-1988
Level
Series
Extent & medium
X
Historical Background
The first annual dinner, to which the Royal Academy invites members of the royal family, distinguished public figures and notable patrons of the arts to celebrate the opening of the (summer) exhibition, was first held at Pall Mall in 1770. No annual dinner was held in 1896, 1901, 1915-1918, 1940-48 and 1952. Dinners at which invited guests could meet members, known as soirées, were held irregularly from the mid-nineteenth century.
Content Description
The series includes records of soirées.