1880-1918 St-Петербург — Petrograd

1880-1887 — Circle of Russian watercolorists; in 1887-1907 — Society of Russian watercolors; from 1907 — Imperial society of Russian watercolors

Members-учредители: S. F. Alexander, A. K. Jensen, ALB. N. Benoit, E. C. Villiers de l'isle-Адан, N. N. Karazin, L. O. Premazzi, A. P. Sokolov

full members: I. K. Aivazovsky, Y. Y. Belsen, D. A. Benkendorf, R. A. Bergholz, M. A. berkos, A. A. Bilderling, V. A. Bobrov, A. P. Bogolyubov, F. F. Buchholz, S. I. Vasilkovsky, K. A. Veselov, M. J. Willie, I. A. Vladimirov, I. S. Galkin, K. E. Geftler, . A. Gogolinski, I. S. Goriushkin-Сорокопудов, A. S. Egornov, S. I. Endogurov, V. I. Zarubin, V. M. Izmailovich, A. D. Kivshenko, M. P. Klodt, K. Y. Kryzhitsky, S. E. Kushelev, L. F. Lagorio, P. B. Lambin, E. K. Lipgart, A. S. Lytkin, K. E. Makowski, A. F. Maksimov, A. I. Meshchersky, A. I. Morozov, V. I. Fertilizers, V. P. Ovsyannikov, A. G. Orlov, A. A. Pisemsky, V. A. Plotnikov, . D. Prokof'ev, A. A. Radkowski, P. S. Sathoff, . A. Sergeev, S. S. Solomko, A. N. Stepanov, V. Feldman, . P. Himona, K. O. Heath, A. S. Khrenov, A. A. Chumakov, A. I. Charlemagne, V. P. Schreiber, P. G. Scherbov and others.

Exponent: I. A. Aleksandrov, A. F. Afanasiev, L. S. Bakst, V. M. Baruzdina, E. M. Boehm, A. N. Benoit, L. M. Brailovsky, . N. Bunin, P. D. Buchkin, V. P. Vereshchagin, E. K. Wrangell, A. V. Hansen, K. I. Gorbatov, V. F. Grave, . N. Gritsenko, . D. Dmitriev-Оренбургский, E. S. Zarudnaya-Кавос, M. A. Zichy, A. D. Kaygorodov, P. O. Kovalevsky, I. S. Kulikov, G. A. Ladyzhenskaya, A. E. Makowski, V. E. Makovsky, . Makovsky, G. M. Manizer, M. O. Mikeshin, V. V. Perepletchikov, E. D. Polenova, I. E. Repin, A. A. Rylov, P. P. Sokolov, V. I. Surikov, V. T. Timofeev, E. F. Urlaub, A. N. Schilder, A. A. Shurygin, S. I. Junker-Крамская and others.

Exhibitions: 1-я (1880 St-Петербург) — 38-я (1918, Petrograd).

the Circle was founded on the initiative of the teacher of the Drawing school Society for the encouragement of artists E. C. Villiers de l'isle-Адана for the device of watercolor exhibitions. In 1887 he received the official status of the Society of Russian watercolors, which were intended to "contribute to the success and development of watercolor painting in Russia." The Charter was approved July 11, 1887.

In active members was taken "artists living in Russia and worthy of saying about himself in his works, mainly on the exhibitions of the Society as exhibitors". At the same time the Society consisted of about 20 active members, many of whom were also members of other art associations.

headed or standing election Committee of three members (Secretary, Treasurer, and head of the economic part). I was also elected as the exhibition jury of three members and the audit Commission. Initially, the Union actually led ALB. N. Benoist in 1897, the conflict, caused by aesthetic disagreements with other members, he left the Board, having received the status of "honorary member." Subsequently, the OPA was headed by A. S. Egornov(1897-1902), S. F. Alexander (1902-1904), R. A. Bergholz (1904-1918).

From the 1880s, the Society annually organized exhibitions that took place in the premises of the Society for the encouragement of artists, from 1896 — in the halls of IAH and the Passage. Along with the St. Petersburg exhibitions were held twelve exhibitions in Moscow, exhibitions in Riga (1888), Helsingfors (1893), Munich (1908). At the initiative ALB. N. Benoit the graphics of the exhibition "Blanc et Noir" (1890, 1892, 1895). The society held a posthumous exhibition S. I. Endogurova (1895), K. O. his (1901), A. A. Pisemsky (1914).

In 1880-90-х exhibitions dominated the work of academic areas associated with the aesthetics of landscape watercolors. In the early 1900-х watercolor shows became more variety: for them there were works in the art Nouveau style, "neo-Russian style".

Occasionally they exhibited the work of foreign masters and classic watercolors from private collections. The exhibition was accompanied by the publishing of directories-указателей exhibited works.

10-ю exhibition Society (1890) was visited by the Emperor Alexander III; subsequently, the members of the Imperial family regularly participated in exhibitions. The exhibition was popular with the public: in season 1899/1900 another (19-я) ORA exhibition gathered more than 30 000 visitors; any other artistic Association has failed to attract to its halls as many spectators.

January 1892 the Society held weekly at the Imperial Academy of arts "watercolor Friday", which took on the character of popular literature-художественных and musical evenings. "Friday" was often visited by the President of the Imperial Academy of arts Grand Duke Vladimir and other members of the Imperial family. In connection with the celebration of 25-летнего anniversary of the Society in 1905 he was awarded the title of "Imperial" (the official decision took place in 1907).

1900-х the work of the Society began to decline. In 1905 he stopped "watercolor day." The last exhibition took place in 1918, after which the Society was dissolved. The main core has retained membership in the Society of artists to them. A. I. Kuindzhi.