Hugh Thomson (1 June 18607 May 1920) was an Irish

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

. He is best known for his pen-and-ink illustrations of works by authors such as

Jane Austen Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

, and

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

. Thomson inaugurated the ''Cranford School'' of illustration with the publication of the 1891 Macmillan reissue of Mrs. Gaskell's '' Cranford''.

Biography

Thomson was born on 1 June 1860, in

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, No ...

, to tea merchant John Thomson (1822–1894) and shopkeeper Catherine (née Andrews) (d. 1871). He was the eldest of their three surviving children. Although he had no formal artistic training, as a young boy he would often fill his schoolbooks with drawings of horses, dogs, and ships. He attended Coleraine Model School, but left at the age of fourteen to work as a clerk at E. Gribbon & Sons, Linen Manufacturers.''Illustrated by Hugh Thomson, 1860–1920''. Comp. Olivia Fitzpatrick and Debby Shorley. Belfast: University of Ulster at Belfast, 1989. Years later, his artistic talents were discovered, and in 1877 he was hired by printing and publishing company

Marcus Ward & Co Marcus Ward and Co. was an Irish publishing company known for its illustrated books for children and adults, as well as its decorative greeting cards. It had its beginnings in 1802, with a partnership between John Ward, James Blow and Robert Gre ...

. On 29 December 1884, Thomson married Jessie Naismith Miller in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

. Soon afterwards they moved back to London for Thomson's career. They had one son together, John, born in 1886. In 1911, he and his family moved to

Sidcup Sidcup is an area of south-east London, England, primarily in the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, bordering the London Boroughs of London Borough of Bromley, Bromley and Royal Borough of Greenwich, Greenwich. It was ...

, hoping to improve their "ever delicate health". Thomson's correspondence reflects the fact that he missed being close to the National Gallery and the museums where he usually compiled research for his illustrations. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, demand for Thomson's work decreased to a few propaganda pamphlets and some commissions from friends. By 1917, Thomson had fallen on financial hardship and he had to take a job with the

Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for Business and Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...

, where he worked until 1919. Thomson died of heart disease at his home in Wandsworth Common on 7 May 1920.

Career

At age 17, Thomson joined the art department at Marcus Ward & Co. There his mentor was John Vinycomb, head of the art department. Vinycomb and Thomson's cousin, Mrs. William H. Dodd, encouraged his artistic development during the first years of his career. Thomson's artistic ambitions led him to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1883 where he became a leading contributor ''

The English Illustrated Magazine ''The English Illustrated Magazine'' was a monthly publication that ran for 359 issues between October 1883 and August 1913. Features included travel, topography, and a large amount of fiction and were contributed by writers such as Thomas Hardy ...

''. He first worked for the magazine with

Randolph Caldecott Randolph Caldecott ( ; 22 March 1846 – 12 February 1886) was a British artist and illustrator, born in Chester. The Caldecott Medal was named in his honour. He exercised his art chiefly in book illustrations. His abilities as an artist were pr ...

on the 1885–86 issue, and later collaborated with Herbert Railton on the 1887–88 issue. His style at the time is said to be in the "straight tradition of Caldecott". Thomson also gained praise and influenced many young artists through his book illustrations. He notably illustrated editions of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, Jane Austen, and Charles Dickens. His illustrations for

Elizabeth Gaskell Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (''née'' Stevenson; 29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer, and short story writer. Her novels offer detailed studies of Victorian era, Victoria ...

's '' Cranford'' (1891) inspired a slew of publishers to produce a series of gift books in a similar style ("crown octavo with three edges gilt, bound in dark green cloth, front and spine heavily stamped in gold"). Between 1886 and 1900, he illustrated a set of small classics for Macmillans and Kegan Paul. Much of his work during that period consisted of elaborately illustrated gift books and reprints of popular classics. Thomson's most popular illustrations were "fine line drawing of rural characters and gentle countrified society". His works were featured in a number of exhibitions during his lifetime, including an 1899 exhibit at the Birmingham and Midland Institute and a 1910 exhibit of his watercolour drawings for Shakespeare's ''

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'' at The Leicester Galleries in London.A handsome oversized volume with his paintings laid in was produced for the exhibition. See ''The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare with Illustrations by Hugh Thomson'' (London: William Heinemann, 1910). His illustrations were also featured in an 1891 exhibit with fellow illustrator

Kate Greenaway Catherine Greenaway (17 March 18466 November 1901) was an English Victorian artist and writer, known for her children's book illustrations. She received her education in graphic design and art between 1858 and 1871 from the Finsbury School of ...

at the

Fine Art Society The Fine Art Society is a gallery based in both London and in Edinburgh's New Town (originally Bourne Fine Art, established 1978). The New Bond Street, London gallery closed its doors in August 2018 after being occupied by The Fine Art Society ...

Methods

Thomson is best known for his pen-and-ink illustrations. He prepared most of his work in black and white until the early years of the 20th century, but would sometimes tint pieces for exhibits. The earliest known example of this was for the 1899 Birmingham and Midland Institute exhibition, where he colored the ''Cranford'' illustrations he had first drawn eight years earlier. Throughout his career Thomson occasionally dabbled with watercolours, but only used colour in his illustrations in response to his publishers' demand. His first book illustrations prepared and printed fully in colour were for the last two books in the ''Cranford'' series, '' Scenes of Clerical Life'' (1906) and ''

Silas Marner ''Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe'' is the third novel by English author George Eliot, pen name of Mary Ann Evans. It was published on 2 April 1861. An outwardly simple tale of a linen weaver, the novel is notable for its strong realism a ...

'' (1907). When working on a new illustration, Thomson would research his subject in the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

and the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

. He would often take detailed notes on costumes, furniture, old prints and architectural records. His attention to detail can be seen in his sketchbooks, which include pages devoted to the changing styles of ladies' bonnets and descriptions of "the details of a cavalry officer's regimentals, together with a series of studies of how such an officer would hold the reins of his mount." When illustrating a series of pieces set in the same location, Thomson would maintain the details of each room, hallway or facade, drawing them from different angles throughout the publication. Thomson was often praised for his ability to "project himself into a story". Much of his work has become inseparable from the publications themselves. Such is the case with his illustrations for ''Pride and Prejudice'' and the other Austen novels. When J. M. Barrie's '' Quality Street'' was published with Thomson's illustrations in 1913, the art critic for '' The Daily News'' stated, "The Barrie–Thomson combination is as perfect in its way as that of Gilbert and Sullivan". Thomson was elected RI, a member of the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours, in 1897 and retired in 1907.

The Cranford School

Thomson was the first of the ''Cranford School'' of illustrators who abandoned the 1890s ''style of

Beardsley Beardsley may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places in the United States * Beardsley, Arizona, a populated place * Beardsley, Kansas, a ghost town * Beardsley, Minnesota, a city * Beardsley Canal, Kern County, California, an irrigation canal * Beardsley Creek, ...

for the delicacy of an eighteenth-century mode.'' The 'Cranford School' of illustration was not so much a 'school' with a common training, but more of a style ''which celebrated a sentimental, pre-industrial notion of ‘old England'''. The style was named for Thomson's illustrations of the Macmillan reissue of Mrs. Gaskell's '' Cranford''. ''Cranford'' was the first of a series of 24 volumes, of which Thomson illustrated 11. Felmingham includes the ''Cranford School'' within a broader movement that he called the ''Wig and Powder School'' which he states ''reflected an aspect of contemporary taste that . . . is sometimes called the 'Queen Ann revival. Felmingham included the popularity of such architectural features as ''high-pitched roof, Flemish gables, and white or green painted sash windows'' as an outward expression of the revival. Jenkins states that the term ''Wig and Powder School'' is loosely equivalent to the ''Cranford School'' and that the latter term was mostly used between 1890 and 1914.Jenkins also notes that the school is sometime also called that ''Queen Anne Revival'', a term especially associated with the watercolour work that sometimes accompanied the delicate pen drawings, such as Thomson's colour drawings for th
1898 ''Cranford'', online
at the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

. The style was a ''nostalgic, affectionate and slightly whimsical approach to historical themes''. and was distinguished by ''graphic nostalgia for a philistinism that was no more''. The members of the school ''had all been fired by the literature, art, costume or atmosphere of England in the eighteenth century and became dealers in nostalgia on a very large scale.'' It was a ''style of illustration harking back to pre-industrial rural England'', ''which specialized in the nostalgic recreation of a by-gone golden era before the ravages of industrialization.'' Cooke notes that the style ''involved the careful representation of Regency dress and interiors, pastoral settings and sharp characterization which was based on a close reading of the text.'' The emergence of the ''Cranford School'' style was only possible because photo-mechanical reproduction of drawings allowed the fine pen lines distinctive of the school to be reproduced, which was impossible with the older technique of wood engravings. Thomson was the originator of the school. Other members of the school were: *

C. E. Brock Charles Edmund Brock (5 February 1870 – 28 February 1938) was a widely published English painter, line artist and book illustrator, who signed most of his work C. E. Brock. He was the eldest of The Brocks of Cambridge, four artist brothers, ...

(1870–1938) * H. M. Brock (1875–1960) * Chris Hammond (1860–1900), who signed her work Chris Hammond. * Fred Pegram (1870–1937) * F. H. Townsend (1868–1920)

Thomson's illustration of ''Cranford''

The following illustrations by Thomson for the 1891 Macmillan '' Cranford'' give some flavour of the book that inaugurated the ''Cranford School''. The book has 111 illustrations in total. File:Illustration by Hugh Thomson (1860-1920) of the 1891 reissue of Cranford by Gaskell - frontispiece.jpg, Frontispiece File:Illustration by Hugh Thomson (1860-1920) of the 1891 reissue of Cranford by Gaskell - 12.jpg, Page 12 File:Illustration by Hugh Thomson (1860-1920) of the 1891 reissue of Cranford by Gaskell - 64.jpg, Page 64 File:Illustration by Hugh Thomson (1860-1920) of the 1891 reissue of Cranford by Gaskell - 108.jpg, Page 108 File:Illustration by Hugh Thomson (1860-1920) of the 1891 reissue of Cranford by Gaskell - 118.jpg, Page 118 File:Illustration by Hugh Thomson (1860-1920) of the 1891 reissue of Cranford by Gaskell - 298.jpg, Page 298

Selected works

In total, Thomson illustrated sixty-five books and contributed a large number of illustrations to magazines and other periodicals. The following list of publications includes a number of his works. External links lead to digitized copies on

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

unless otherwise noted. *Illustrations in ''

'' (first appeared in the 1885–86 issue) *''Days with Sir Roger De Coverley'' (1886
digital copy
*''Coaching Days and Coaching Ways'' (1888
digital copy
*'' Cranford'' (1891
digital copy
*'' The Vicar of Wakefield'' (1891
digital copy
*''The Ballad of Beau Brocade'' (1892
digital copy
*'' Our Village'' (1893
digital copy
*''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is the second published novel (but third to be written) by English author Jane Austen, written when she was age 20-21, and later published in 1813. A novel of manners, it follows the character development of Elizabe ...

'' (1894
digital copy
*''The Story of Rosina and other Verses'' (1895
digital copy
*'' Emma'' (1896
digital copy
*''

Sense and Sensibility ''Sense and Sensibility'' ( working title; ''Elinor and Marianne'') is the first novel by the English author Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was published anonymously: ''By A Lady'' appears on the title page where the author's name might h ...

'' (1896
digital copy
*''

Mansfield Park ''Mansfield Park'' is the third published novel by the English author Jane Austen, first published in 1814 by Thomas Egerton (publisher), Thomas Egerton. A second edition was published in 1816 by John Murray (publishing house), John Murray, st ...

'' (1897
digital copy
*''

Northanger Abbey ''Northanger Abbey'' ( ) is a coming-of-age novel and a satire of Gothic fiction, Gothic novels written by the English author Jane Austen. Although the title page is dated 1818 and the novel was published posthumously in 1817 with ''Persuasio ...

'' (1898
digital copy
*''

Persuasion Persuasion or persuasion arts is an umbrella term for influence. Persuasion can influence a person's beliefs, attitudes, intentions, motivations, or behaviours. Persuasion is studied in many disciplines. Rhetoric studies modes of persuasi ...

'' (1898
digital copy
*''The Illustrated Fairy Books'' (1898) *Illustrations for twelve volumes in the '' Highways and Byways'' series, including ''Donegal and Antrim'' (1899
digital copy
*''Peg Woffington'' (1899
digital copy
*'' A Kentucky Cardinal'' (1901
digital copy
*'' The History of Henry Esmond'' (1905
digital copy
*Illustrations for eleven of the twenty-four volumes in the Cranford series (gift books), including ''

Evelina ''Evelina, or the History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World'' is a novel written by English author Frances Burney and first published in 1778. Although published anonymously, its authorship was revealed by the poet George Huddesford in ...

'' (1903
digital copy
'' Scenes of Clerical Life'' (1906
digital copy
and ''

'' (1907
digital copy
*''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' (1909
digital copydigital copy
*''

'
digital copy
*'' Quality Street'' (1913
digital copy
*''

Tom Brown's Schooldays ''Tom Brown's School Days'' (sometimes written ''Tom Brown's Schooldays'', also published under the titles ''Tom Brown at Rugby'', ''School Days at Rugby'', and ''Tom Brown's School Days at Rugby'') is a novel by Thomas Hughes, published in 18 ...

'' (1918
digital copy
*''An Irish Horse Fair''

Gallery

File:Thomson-PP05.jpg, ''Pride and Prejudice'', page 15: "She is tolerable." File:Thomson-PP03 (recadrage).jpg, ''Pride and Prejudice'', page 5: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. File:Thomson-ch8-Mrs Musgrove.JPG, ''Persuasion'', chapter 8: "Captain Wentworth attended to her large fat sighings." File:Rosalind and Celia by Hugh Thomson 1909.jpg, ''As You Like It'', illustration of Rosalind and Celia. File:Scenes Frontispiece.JPG, Frontispiece from ''Scenes of Clerical Life''. File:Sense and Sensibility Illustration Chap 12.jpg, ''Sense and Sensibility'', chapter 12: "He cut off a long lock of her hair." File:Thomson-MP-ch48.JPG, ''Mansfield Park'', chapter 48: "Sitting under trees with Fanny."

Notes

References

External links

* * * * The 1891 ''Cranford'', online at the

. This is the book that inaugurated the ''Cranford School''.
The 1898 ''Cranford'', online
at the

. This edition replacing some of the original 1891 pen and ink illustrations by Thomson with coloured illustrations by him.
Hugh Thomson collection
at

Mount Holyoke Mount Holyoke, a traprock mountain, elevation , is the westernmost peak of the Holyoke Range and part of the 100-mile (160 km) Metacomet Ridge. The mountain is located in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts, and is the n ...

Special Collections
Hugh Thomson collection
at Coleraine Museum Archive
Hugh Thomson Illustration Collection: Online Exhibition
on YouTube.
Works by Hugh Thomson in Flickr Commons
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, Hugh 1860 births 1920 deaths 19th-century Irish illustrators People from Coleraine, County Londonderry 19th-century Irish male artists 20th-century Irish male artists Artists from County Londonderry 20th-century Irish illustrators