It is not certain exactly when and by whom the Society of Women Artists was founded. Earliest minutes, if kept, were lost or destroyed with other records at 195, Piccadilly, London during the Second World War. The Society's papers date from 1929. However, catalogues in the Victoria and Albert Museum Library show the Society of Female Artists held its first exhibition in 1857 at The Gallery, 315 Oxford Street, where 358 works were displayed by 149 female artists. The Society changed its name in 1873 to Society of Lady Artists. Early members included Rosa Bonheur and Lady Elizabeth Butler. In 1932 Dame Laura Knight was invited to become President and retained that Office until she retired in 1968 to become a Patron. As at 2009 The Society maintained a website http://www.society-women-artists.org.uk/
From the guide to the Society of Women Artists, 1932-1988, (The Women's Art Library (MAKE))
