This is a searchable database of over 2400 members of the Photographic Society [of London] which became the Photographic Society of Great Britain in 1874 and then the Royal Photographic Society in 1894. It contains the most complete record of members extant, their addresses, membership category and, for some, any official position held. It covers the years 1853–1901.

Click here for the current membership page of the RPS.

Members 1856 photo

Members of the photographic society, 1856

How can I use this site?
  • Search by year of membership
    The resulting list is ordered alphabetically by surname, and the value next to each name indicates the number of years of membership.
  • Search by surname
    Enter the first few letters of a surname and the search will return a list of names.
  • Search by address/country
    Here, address refers to a street or town. Select country from the drop-down list.
  • Search by position
    Here, postion refers to any official role in the Society, such as President, Librarian, etc. Select from the drop–down menu.
  • Search by membership type
    refers to any of the 8 types of membership of the Society. Select from the drop–down menu.
  • Combined search.
    1. Country and year of membership range.
    2. Surname and year of membership range.
    3. Surname, country and year of membership range.
  • Printing
    use the print options of your browser.