What was The Club founded by Samuel Johnson and Sir Joshua Reynolds?

The Club, later known as The Literary Club, was a prestigious intellectual group founded in 1764 by Samuel Johnson and Sir Joshua Reynolds.12

Designed as a select body for conversation and supper, the group became famous for the distinction of its members. The original nine founder-members included Oliver Goldsmith, Edmund Burke, and Sir John Hawkins. Over time, the membership expanded to include other notable figures such as James Boswell, David Garrick, Edward Gibbon, Adam Smith, and Richard Brinsley Sheridan.1

The club was central to Johnson’s social life, providing the intellectual society he desired. It is also the origin of the term "unclubbable," which Johnson reportedly used to describe individuals he deemed unsuitable for the group's company.12