November 20, 1860
The Philadelphia Sketch Club was created, “To support and nurture working visual artists, the appreciation of the visual arts, visual arts education, and the historical value of the visual arts to the community,” on this day in 1860. The Sketch Club was founded by George F. Bensell, Edmund Birckhead Bensell, Edward J. McIlhenny, Henry C. Bispham, John L. Gihon, and Robert Wylie – all students at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.