Royal Scottish Academy Dinners

• Reference:GB 1716 RSA1/6

• Scope and Content

  Papers relating to formal dinners given by the RSA, in particular the annual members dinner. Note, papers relating to dinners between 1983 - 2000 are not present

• Administrative / Biographical History

  The Varnishing Day Lunch is identified as a specific expenditure in the Abstracts of Accounts commencing 1840 to mark the taking over of the Annual Exhibition by Council and has been used in more recent times to introduce new elected members and make the presentation of their Diplomas.

  There have been further special meals held at key moments in the Academy’s history. These have included select affairs following the annual Gillies lectures, for example, to grander seatings such as those held to mark the Academy’s occupancy of the refurbished RI Building in 1911 and that held following the opening of the major Ages of Wonder exhibition in November 2014.

  A major feature of the life of the Academy in days past was the Annual Dinner. This is often referred to in the past as a Banquet, and under that title John Kinross in his research notes (Box File 48) gives 1865 as the first year this was held, continuing annually until 1891 with the exception of only 5 years due to the serious illness or death of a president (1876, 1879, 1883, 1888 and 1890). The banquet traditionally took place the evening before the Annual Exhibition opening. It appears to have been revived in 1903 but only for 4 years and did not take place from 1907 to 1910. Banquets were next held in 1911 (to mark the move into the refurbished Royal Institution building as the new home for the RSA) and 1926 (to mark the Centenary of the founding of the Academy). A further special Dinner was held to mark the opening of the Ages of Wonder exhibition in November 2017.

  The concept was resurrected in 1960, now titled Annual Dinner, and ran annually until 2000. The RSA Annual Report 2001 (Notice 16) recorded that no Dinner would be held in 2001 due to refurbishment of the premises at the Mound, and it does not appear to have taken place in 2002 either. The last was held c.2004/05 after which it fell into abeyance until resurrected in November 2019 under the presidency of Joyce Cairns.

• Other Finding Aids

  The Vouchers collection contains numerous invoices from a range of Edinburgh purveyors for a range of foodstuffs and beverages. These include “meals” for men involved in hanging the Annual Exhibitions, Council Meeting refreshments, and more ambitious events including formal Dinners. Invitation cards as well as copies of the Menu and Programmes for musical accompaniment by Military Bands for the Annual Dinners are to be found in the Billet Books.