Royal India Society
A British learned society that promoted the study, appreciation, preservation, and publication of Indian art and culture during the twentieth century.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Royal India Society was a British learned and cultural society concerned with the history, arts, literature, music, architecture, and handicrafts of India and, in its later forms, with the wider cultural affairs of India, Pakistan, and Ceylon. It originated in London in 1910 as the India Society and continued under several names until its merger with the East India Association in 1966. The society emerged from a public debate about the status of Indian art in Britain. In 1910, Sir George Birdwood had argued that India did not possess fine art, a position that provoked strong criticism from people involved in the study and presentation of Indian culture. The controversy helped encourage the formation of the India Society. Among its early members were T. W. Rolleston, who served as honorary secretary, T. W. Arnold, Leighton Cleather, Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, Walter Crane, E. B. Havell, Christiana Herringham, Paira Mall, and William Rothenstein. Their work reflected a desire to challenge dismissive European interpretations of Indian artistic traditions and to present Indian culture on its own historical and aesthetic terms. The society's stated objectives extended beyond the organization of lectures or the encouragement of academic research. It sought to promote the study and appreciation of Indian sculpture, architecture, painting, literature, and music; encourage museums to acquire important examples of Indian art; publish scholarly and accessible reproductions; support surviving Indian arts and handicrafts; and encourage art education based on Indian and traditional models rather than simple imitation of European standards. This program placed the organization within the broader early twentieth-century movement to recognize Indian artistic traditions as sophisticated, historically grounded forms of cultural expression. Publishing was one of its most substantial activities. The society issued books, translations, portfolios, and reproductions dealing with subjects ranging from Indian drawings and sculpture to Ajanta frescoes, Mughal painting, architecture, poetry, music, religious literature, and regional monuments. Its periodical Indian Art and Letters began publication in 1925 and appeared as a twice-yearly journal. The society also supported or issued works associated with figures such as Coomaraswamy, E. B. Havell, Rabindranath Tagore, Christiana Herringham, A. H. Fox Strangways, and other scholars, artists, translators, and cultural intermediaries. A notable public event was the society's Conference on Indian Art, held at the British Empire Exhibition in Wembley on 2 June 1924. Such activity connected the organization with major British cultural institutions and public debates about the representation of the empire and its peoples. The society's archives are held by the British Library. In 1944, the organization received permission to adopt the name Royal India Society under the patronage of the Dowager Queen Mary of Teck. The constitutional changes accompanying the partition of British India prompted further renaming. It became the Royal India and Pakistan Society after 1947 and subsequently the Royal India, Pakistan and Ceylon Society after Ceylon was included in its scope in 1948. These names reflected changing political geography rather than a fundamental abandonment of its cultural and scholarly purpose. In 1966, the society merged with the East India Association, ending its independent existence.
History
The Royal India Society began in 1910 under the name India Society. Its creation was associated with a dispute over whether Indian artistic production should be regarded as fine art. Sir George Birdwood had publicly made a highly dismissive assessment of Indian art while chairing the Indian Section of the Royal Society of Arts. The response from scholars and artists helped produce an organization dedicated to opposing such views and to improving British understanding of India's artistic and cultural traditions. The founding membership included T. W. Rolleston, T. W. Arnold, Leighton Cleather, A. K. Coomaraswamy, Walter Crane, E. B. Havell, Christiana Herringham, Paira Mall, and William Rothenstein. The society's program included research, public education, museum advocacy, publishing, and support for Indian handicrafts and art education. It argued that Indian sculpture, architecture, painting, literature, and music deserved study as intellectually and aesthetically significant traditions, rather than being evaluated only through European models. During its first decades, publishing became a central part of the society's work. It issued portfolios and books on Indian drawings, sculpture, architecture, archaeological sites, painting, music, poetry, and literature. Its publications included works connected with Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, E. B. Havell, Rabindranath Tagore, Christiana Herringham, A. H. Fox Strangways, and other contributors. The periodical Indian Art and Letters, launched in 1925, provided an ongoing forum for scholarship and interpretation. The society also organized public events, including a Conference on Indian Art at the British Empire Exhibition in Wembley on 2 June 1924. In 1944, the organization was granted permission to use the name Royal India Society and operated under the patronage of the Dowager Queen Mary of Teck. The partition of British India led to additional changes. After 1947 it became the Royal India and Pakistan Society, and after 1948 it was renamed the Royal India, Pakistan and Ceylon Society. These changes reflected the political transformation of South Asia and the society's continuing interest in the cultural territories represented by its name. The organization remained active in the postwar period but did not continue as an independent body indefinitely. In 1966 it merged with the East India Association. The merger brought the society's institutional life to a close, while its documentary legacy survived in its publications and archives. The society's archives are held at the British Library.
- 1966
Merged with the East India Association
[1]The society merged with the East India Association and ceased to exist as an independent organization.
- 1948
Ceylon added to the name
[1]The organization adopted the name Royal India, Pakistan and Ceylon Society.
- 1947
Renamed after the partition of India
[1]Following partition, the organization became the Royal India and Pakistan Society.
- 1944
Adopts the Royal India Society name
[1]The society received permission to become the Royal India Society under the patronage of the Dowager Queen Mary of Teck.
- 1925
Indian Art and Letters launched
[1]The society began issuing Indian Art and Letters as a twice-yearly journal devoted to Indian art and cultural subjects.
- 1924
Conference on Indian Art at Wembley
[1]The society organized a Conference on Indian Art at the British Empire Exhibition on 2 June 1924.
- 1910
India Society founded
[1]The organization was established in Britain as the India Society amid debate over the artistic status and cultural interpretation of Indian art.
- 1910
Early art publications issued
[1]The society began publishing material on Indian drawings, sculpture, and related subjects, including works edited or authored by prominent scholars of Indian art.
Products and positioning
A British cultural and scholarly institution positioned as an advocate for the recognition, preservation, publication, and serious study of Indian artistic and literary traditions.
Journal · 1925
Indian Art and Letters
A twice-yearly journal issued from 1925 that provided a continuing platform for writing and documentation concerning Indian art, literature, and related cultural subjects.
Art publication · 1910
Indian drawings
An early publication edited by A. K. Coomaraswamy and issued in 1910. It formed part of the society's effort to circulate serious visual and scholarly material on Indian artistic traditions.
Art reproduction · 1915
Ajanta Frescoes
A 1915 publication reproducing frescoes from caves at Ajanta in color and monochrome, based on copies made by Christiana Herringham and her assistants. It exemplified the society's interest in documenting Indian monuments and painting for wider study.
Literary translation · 1912
Gitanjali
The society issued Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali, or Song-offering, in 1912. Its publication formed part of the organization's broader program of bringing Indian literature into British cultural and literary circulation.
Music publication · 1914
The Music of Hindostan
A 1914 work by A. H. Fox Strangways addressing Indian music. Its inclusion in the society's publishing program demonstrates that the organization treated music alongside visual art, literature, and architecture as a major field of Indian cultural study.
Marketing campaigns
- 1910Advocacy for Indian art
United Kingdom
The society's founding program challenged dismissive European judgments about Indian art and promoted the study of Indian sculpture, architecture, painting, literature, and music on their own cultural and historical terms.
Outcome. The organization established a long-running platform for publications, museum advocacy, and public education about Indian culture.
- 1910Support for museums and traditional arts
United Kingdom · India
The society sought to encourage national and provincial museums to acquire important examples of Indian art and supported the preservation of traditional arts and handicrafts.
Brand decisions
1966
Merger with the East India AssociationM&ABackground
The society's independent institutional history concluded in the context of a merger with another organization concerned with India and the wider region.
Action taken
It merged with the East India Association.
Aftermath
The Royal India Society ceased to operate as a separate organization, while its publications and archival legacy remained available through institutional collections.
1948
Renaming as the Royal India, Pakistan and Ceylon SocietyStrategyBackground
The society expanded the geographic reference in its name to reflect its continuing cultural interest in South Asia.
Action taken
It adopted the name Royal India, Pakistan and Ceylon Society.
Aftermath
The expanded name was used before the organization merged with the East India Association in 1966.
1947
Renaming as the Royal India and Pakistan SocietyStrategyBackground
The partition of British India created new political entities and altered the geographic and institutional context in which the society operated.
Action taken
The society changed its name to the Royal India and Pakistan Society.
Aftermath
It later added Ceylon to its name in 1948.
1944
Adoption of the Royal India Society nameStrategyBackground
After more than three decades as the India Society, the organization sought and received permission to adopt a royal designation.
Action taken
It became the Royal India Society under the patronage of the Dowager Queen Mary of Teck.
Aftermath
The new name remained in use until the political changes surrounding the partition of India prompted further renaming.
Sources1 sources
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