Members of the RPS gathered at Shildon on January 20, 2018, for the launch of the exhibition marking its 100th folio.
RPS ARCHIVE
MAURICE W Earley (1900-1982) was recognised as a leading railway photographer, but before he became really established, he wanted to encourage others to improve the standard of their railway photography.
His pioneering vision led him to form the Railway Postal Photographic Club in early 1922. He placed a ‘recruitment’ advertisement in the October 1922 issue of The Railway Magazine inviting like-minded individuals to join him (see panel for the clipping). In 1923, it became The Railway Photographic Postal Society; but later the reference to ‘Postal’ was dropped and the group was renamed as the Railway Photographic Society (RPS).
As far as is known, that advert in The Railway Magazine was the only occasion that members were recruited in this way, as RPS membership was thereafter only by invitation or recommendation. Prospective members provided a number of prints for evaluation by Maurice (always known by his initials MWE) and this process endures to the present day.