 1817 sketch by John Neal of the first meeting in 1816 | |
| Named after | Oracle of Delphi |
|---|---|
| Formation | August 31, 1816 |
| Founders | John Neal, Tobias Watkins, John Pierpont, Horace H. Hayden, William Sinclair, John Didier Readel, James H. McCulloch |
| Founded at | Baltimore, Maryland, US |
| Dissolved | 1825 |
| Type | Literary club |
President | William Sinclair (1816) Tobias Watkins (1816–1823) William H. Winder (1823–1824) William Gwynn (1824–1825) |
Main organ | The Portico |
The Delphian Club was an early American literary club active between 1816 and 1825. The focal point of Baltimore's literary community, Delphians like John Neal were prodigious authors and editors. The group of mostly lawyers and doctors gathered weekly to share refreshments and facetious stories, with many of their works being published in The Portico magazine. The club's structure and terminology were inspired by classical antiquity and comical verbosity. Sixteen men claimed membership over the club's nine-year run, with no more than nine serving at a time. Edgar Allan Poe satirized the group in his unpublished Tales of the Folio Club in the 1830s.