Charles West Cope painted one of the most telling pictures of the proceedings of the Royal Academy in the nineteenth century. This picture is “The Council of the Royal Academy selecting Pictures for Exhibition 1876.” Clearly shown are Sir Francis Grant PRA, Frederic Leighton, and John Everett Millais. It was a great advantage to aspiring artists at the time, to have their pictures exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. From the late 1860s to the 1890s the number of pictures submitted for exhibition almost trebled. The Academicians rejected calls for a reform, which would have reduced the number of pictures, which they were allowed to show, without selection, by right of their position. The consequence of this was that the opportunity for other artist’s pictures to be hung was even more limited than would otherwise have been the case. This was widely resented, as was the tendency to “sky” pictures by less than popular artists and newcomers.
