In the winter months of 1851/1852, a provisional committee was formed with a view to organising a photographic society in London. A catalyst to the project was an exhibition of over seven hundred photographs in the gallery of the Society of Arts, which was of great general interest.

A public meeting was held on Thursday 20 January 1853 and The Photographic Society was formed using mainly the Society of Arts for its meetings. In 1874 the name was changed to the Photographic Society of Great Britain to reflect its growing importance and twenty years later it became The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain with the permission of Queen Victoria, which was maintained by subsequent Monarchs. The Society was granted a Royal Charter in July 2004.