SOCIETY OF GRAVER-PRINTMAKERS IN COLOUR

1909 - ?

W. Giles: president of the Society of the graver printers in colour

The Society of Graver-Printmakers in Colour was established in February 1909 by a group of artists whose founder members included Théodore Casini Roussel (1847-1926), Thomas Austen Brown (1857-1924), John Dickson Batten (1860-1932), Sydney Lee (1866-1949) and William Lee-Hankey (1869-1952). Later members included William Giles (1872-1939), president, John Edgar Platt (1886–1967), who succeeded William Giles as the Society's President, Frank Morley Fletcher (1866-1949), Alfred Hartley, Elyse Lord (1885-1971), Frederick Marriott (1860-1941), Allen William Seaby (1867-1953), Helen Grace Stevenson (1889-) and Edward Loxton Knight (1905-1993). One of the fundamental principles of the organisation was that all works should not only be the invention of the artist but that all proofs should be guaranteed printed in colour by the artist, and not coloured or completed by hand after printing. Thus the Society rationale was simply the exhibiting of colour prints and not coloured prints. Early exhibitions were staged at the gallery of Manzi, Joyant & Co. of the Goupil Gallery at 25 Bedford Street, London. In 1925 exhibitions were held at the Bromhead Gallery in London's, Cork Street. The last Society exhibition noted was at the Kensington Art Gallery at St Mary Abbots Terrace, London in 1949 entitled 'Fifty years of Colour Prints' when John Edgar Platt (1886–1967) was president.