The Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (known as the PAGB) is the umbrella organisation that provides benefits and co-ordinates specific events for the majority of photographic clubs and societies in England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland. (Hence its scope is in fact not merely Great Britain, but rather the United Kingdom.)
The PAGB does this through 15 regional organisations known as federations. These events and benefits apply variously to individual photographers, to societies and clubs, and to the federations themselves.
History
Photographers joined to form photographic clubs and societies from the early-1840s onwards. The Leeds Photographic Society was established in 1852, and the London Photographic Society (which became the Royal Photographic Society) in 1853.
Affiliation
The Royal Photographic Society, then known as the Photographic Society of Great Britain, became central in acting as a coordinating body for camera clubs and photographic societies in Britain, and the Society was frequently referred to as the 'parent body' in its relationship to other British photographic organisations. The strengthening of links between clubs and societies was started in 1890 when the Society considered a proposal to establish a photographic institute which it circulated to all societies. This scheme failed to gain momentum and an affiliation committee was established which reported back to The Society's Council in April 1891. An alternative affiliation scheme promoted by The Camera Club in London failed to gain any significant support.
The 1891 committee noted that 'it would be desirable if the majority of local Photographic Societies could be affiliated to the Parent Society...such a scheme ought to be practical and useful'. The scheme would:
Be eligible to any photographic society in the United Kingdom. admittance be confirmed by the Council of the Photographic Society of Great Britain. Each affiliated Society pay a small subscription. A conference of delegates should be held to promote uniformity of work between societies, devising means for mutual co-operation and inter-communication. there should be a standing committee of which the Assistant Secretary of the Photographic Society should be secretary. Each affiliated Society should have, say, two transferable tickets admitting to all meetings and perhaps the exhibition of the Society. One copy of the Journal should be sent to all affiliated society.
An alternative independent scheme of affiliation was proposed and sent to the various London societies but there seemed to be a consensus that the Photographic Society's scheme was preferred and in July 1891 a formal affiliation scheme was adopted which adopted some of the six points outlined in April and some of the aims of the institute scheme proposed the previous November. The first meeting of delegates took place on 1 February 1892 which dealt with minor revision of the rules and negotiating the relationship ship between the societies and the Parent society. Further meetings took place in March. The published list of affiliated societies in February 1892 contained twenty-four societies, including the Photographic Society of India. From 1892 reports dealing with affiliated societies and activities began to appear regularly in The Photographic Journal and an annual list of affiliated Societies was published.
Early federations
During the period from 1892 to 1930 various photographic unions of individual photographic clubs were formed, the first of which was the Yorkshire Photographic Union formed in 1899 as a regional grouping of photographic clubs and societies. This was followed by the Northern Counties Photographic Federation in 1901, the Scottish Photographic Federation in 1903, the Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union in 1905, the Midland Counties Photographic Federation in 1907, and the East Anglian Federation in 1910.
By the late 1920s there was increasing pressure from other photographic societies and camera club to distance themselves from the Royal Photographic Society. The Society was less concerned with competition than local groups. Larger alliances were formed, for example, The Council of Photographic Federations in 1926.