Alfred Thompson (pseudonym: Thompson E. Jones, 7 October 1831 – 31 August 1895) was a British musical theatre librettist, set designer, costume designer, theatre manager, journalist and artist, contributing to ''Punch'' and ''Vanity Fair'' (signed "Ἀτη").

Biography

Thompson was born in London. He was educated at

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

and

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. He matriculated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, in 1850 and graduated B.A. in 1855. He served as a cavalry officer in the

6th Dragoons The 6th Dragoons or 6th Dragoon Regiment may refer to: *6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons, a British regiment active 1689-1922 * 6th Dragoon Regiment (France), a French regiment See also *6th Dragoon Guards The Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) was a ...

from 1855 until he sold his commission in 1857; he started as

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

and rose to captain. In 1854 he sold his first drawing to ''Diogenes'' and in 1856–1858 sold numerous drawings to ''Punch''. He studied art in Munich with private lessons from

Karl von Piloty Karl Theodor von Piloty (1 October 1826 – 21 July 1886) was a German painter, noted for his historical subjects, and recognised as the foremost representative of the realistic school in Germany. Life and work Piloty was born in Munich. His fath ...

and in Paris under

Thomas Couture Thomas Couture (; 21 December 1815 – 30 March 1879) was a French history painter and teacher. He taught many notable contemporary figures of the art world, such as Édouard Manet, Henri Fantin-Latour, John La Farge, Pierre Puvis de Chava ...

. In 1867 at the behest of Arthur à Beckett, Thompson joined the literary staff of ''The Tomahawk''. From February to December 1868, Thompson and

Leopold David Lewis Leopold David Lewis (19 November 1828 – 23 February 1890), was an English dramatist. Lewis was born in London in 1828, the son of Elizabeth and David Leopold Lewis, a surgeon, and was educated at the King's College School, and upon gradua ...

edited a monthly review ''The Mask'', which failed. In the 1860s Thompson became successful as a librettist, set designer and costume designer for the British musical theatre in London. For the English stage he designed over five thousand costumes. During the 1870s in Manchester he was managing director of the Theatre Royal and the

Prince's Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. It opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, with a capacity of 2,500. The current capacity is 1,416. The title "Shaftesbury Theatr ...

. In May 1883 as a journalist he represented the '' Daily News'' at the coronation of Tsar Alexader III. In the latter part of his career Thompson moved to Manhattan and became successful as a librettist for New York City musicals similar to those he had worked on in London and Manchester.

Libretti

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Gallery from Vanity Fair

File:John Villiers Stuart Townshend, Vanity Fair, 1870-02-26.jpg, John Villiers Stuart Townshend by "Ἀτη" in the 26 February 1870 issue File:Robert Peel Vanity Fair 19 March 1870.jpg,

Sir Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850), was a British Conservative statesman who twice was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835, 1841–1846), and simultaneously was Chancellor of the Exchequer (1834–183 ...

by "Ἀτη" in the 19 March 1870 issue File:Sir-Frederick-Pollock.jpg, Sir Frederick Pollock by "Ἀτη" in the 2 April 1870 issue File:Nawab of Bengal.jpg,

Mansur Ali Khan of Bengal Nawab Sayyid Mansur Ali Khan (30 October 1830 – 4 November 1884) was the Nawab of Bengal from 1838 until his abdication in 1880, whereupon he renounced his titles and position as Nawab. During his reign, he instituted various policies in th ...

by "Ἀτη" in the 16 April 1870 issue File:Francis, Duke of Teck, Vanity Fair, 1870-05-14.jpg,

Francis, Duke of Teck Francis, Duke of Teck (Francis Paul Charles Louis Alexander; 28 August 1837 – 21 January 1900), known as Count Francis von Hohenstein until 1863, was an Austrian-born nobleman who married into the British royal family. His wife, Princess M ...

by "Ἀτη" in the 14 May 1870 issue

References

External links

National Portrait Gallery – Person – Alfred Thompson (Atn)''The log of the Water Lily'', illustrated by Alfred Thompson — Hathi Trust Digital LibraryFellows 1800 – 99 – Queens College Cambridge

Thomas Perronet Thompson Thomas Perronet Thompson (15 March 1783 – 6 September 1869) was a British Parliamentarian, a governor of Sierra Leone and a radical reformer. He became prominent in 1830s and 1840s as a leading activist in the Anti-Corn Law League. He speci ...

was Alfred's uncle. {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Alfred 1831 births 1895 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge American musical theatre librettists British caricaturists British costume designers British editorial cartoonists English musical theatre librettists People educated at Brighton College People educated at Rugby School Punch (magazine) cartoonists Vanity Fair (British magazine) artists Writers from London 19th-century American dramatists and playwrights