The Lambs
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Lamb's Club
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| Location | 128 W. 44th St., New York, New York |
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| Coordinates | 40°45′23″N 73°59′7″W / 40.75639°N 73.98528°WCoordinates: 40°45′23″N 73°59′7″W / 40.75639°N 73.98528°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1904 |
| Architect | Stanford White, George Freeman |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 82003382 |
| Added to NRHP | June 3, 1982 |
The Lambs, Inc. (aka The Lambs Club) is a social club in New York City for actors, songwriters, and others involved in the theater. It is America's oldest theatrical organization. "The Lambs" is a registered trademark of The Lambs, Inc.; and the club has been commonly referred to as The Lambs Club and The Lambs Theater since 1874.
In 1868, The Lambs was founded in London by actors, led by John Hare, the first Shepherd, looking to socialize with like-minded people. Several of those, most notably Henry James Montague, came to the United States and formed The Lambs of New York during Christmas week of 1874. It was incorporated in 1877 in New York City. Shortly afterward, the London Lambs closed.
The club's name honors the essayist Charles Lamb and his sister Mary, who during the early 19th century played host to actors and literati at their famed salon in London.
In 1924 they celebrated their golden jubilee at the Earl Carroll Theatre.
The Lambs, the New York Friars' Club, and The Players in New York are often confused. In 1964, the long-time syndicated columnist Earl Wilson put it this way: "Long ago a New Yorker asked the difference between the Lambs, Friars, and Players, since the membership was, at the time, predominantly from Broadway." It was left to "a wit believed to have been George S. Kaufman" to draw the distinction: "The Players are gentlemen trying to be actors, the Lambs are actors trying to be gentlemen, and the Friars are neither trying to be both."
The president of The Lambs is called "The Shepherd". The Club displays the portraits of all its presidents, painted by artists such as James Montgomery Flagg and Everett Raymond Kinstler.
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