Society of Animal Painters

This obscure society held its inaugural exhibition at the Leicester Galleries in January 1914. The advent of World War I forced it to abandon further exhibition until 1921 when for the next three shows the Fine Art Society was the venue. Another lull appears to have taken place as the next and possibly final show under this 'banner' took place in 1932 at the New Burlington Galleries as a joint enterprise entitled 'The British Empire Society of Arts and the Society of Animal Painters'. An elongated title appeared in 1951 when the Society of Animal Painters, Sculptors and Engravers showed at the Cooling Galleries, London. There is a similarly named Society based in New York also referred to as the Society of Animal Artists but neither are to my knowledge related. The first President of the Society was Lucy Kemp Welch and although her election was supported by Alfred Munnings as yet I can find no evidence that he was a member.