Hugh Thomson (1 June 18607 May 1920) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

Illustrator born at Coleraine near Derry. He is best known for his pen-and-ink illustrations of works by authors such as Jane Austen,

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

, 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 succ ...

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

Biography

Hugh Thomson was born 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. Several 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 ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

. 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 Bromley and Greenwich. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the ...

, 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 (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, 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, where he worked until 1919. Thomson died of heart disease at his home in

Wandsworth Common Wandsworth Common is a public common in Wandsworth, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, south London. It is and is maintained and regulated by Wandsworth Council. It is also a Ward of the London Borough of Wandsworth. The population of the ward ...

on 7 May 1920.

Career

At the age of 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 and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

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 pro ...

on the 1885–86 issue, and later collaborated with

Herbert Railton Herbert Railton (21 November 1857 – 15 March 1910), was an English artist and leading black and white illustrator of books and magazines. Life and work Railton was born in Pleasington, near Blackburn, Lancashire, and educated at Mechlin in ...

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 ( 26 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'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 Charles Kegan Paul (8 March 1828 – 19 July 1902) was an English clergyman, publisher and author. He began his adult life as a clergyman of the Church of England, and served the Church for more than 20 years. His religious orientation moved f ...

. 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 The Birmingham and Midland Institute (popularly known as the Midland Institute) (), is an institution concerned with the promotion of education and learning in Birmingham, England. It is now based on Margaret Street in Birmingham city centre. It ...

and a 1910 exhibit of his watercolor drawings for Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor 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 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 si ...

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 watercolors, but only used color in his illustrations in response to his publishers' demand. His first book illustrations prepared and printed fully in color were for the last two books in the ''Cranford'' series, ''

Scenes of Clerical Life ''Scenes of Clerical Life'' is George Eliot's first published work of fiction, a collection of three short stories, published in book form; it was the first of her works to be released under her famous pseudonym. The stories were first publis ...

'' (1906) and ''

Silas Marner ''Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe'' is the third novel by George Eliot. It was published in 1861. An outwardly simple tale of a linen weaver, the novel is notable for its strong realism and its sophisticated treatment of a variety of issues ...

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

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

and the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

. 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 The Royal Watercolour Society is a British institution of painters working in watercolours. The Society is a centre of excellence for water-based media on paper, which allows for a diverse and interesting range of approaches to the medium of wat ...

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 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 and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

. 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 (18701938) * H. M. Brock (18751960) * Christiana Mary Demain Hammond (18601900), who signed her work Chris Hammond. * Fred Pegram (18701937) * F. H. Townsend (18681920)

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 digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

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 ''The Vicar of Wakefield'', subtitled ''A Tale, Supposed to be written by Himself'', is a novel by Anglo-Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith (1728–1774). It was written from 1761 to 1762 and published in 1766. It was one of the most popular and wid ...

'' (1891
digital copy
*''The Ballad of Beau Brocade'' (1892
digital copy
*'' Our Village'' (1893
digital copy
*'' Pride and Prejudice'' (1894
digital copy
*''The Story of Rosina and other Verses'' (1895
digital copy
*'' Emma'' (1896
digital copy
*''

Sense and Sensibility ''Sense and Sensibility'' is a novel by Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was published anonymously; ''By A Lady'' appears on the title page where the author's name might have been. It tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor (age 19) a ...

'' (1896
digital copy
*''

Mansfield Park ''Mansfield Park'' is the third published novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1814 by Thomas Egerton. A second edition was published in 1816 by John Murray, still within Austen's lifetime. The novel did not receive any public reviews unt ...

'' (1897
digital copy
*''

Northanger Abbey ''Northanger Abbey'' () is a coming-of-age novel and a satire of Gothic novels written by Jane Austen. Austen was also influenced by Charlotte Lennox's '' The Female Quixote'' (1752). ''Northanger Abbey'' was completed in 1803, the first of ...

'' (1898
digital copy
*'' Persuasion'' (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 ''The History of Henry Esmond'' is a historical novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, originally published in 1852. The book tells the story of the early life of Henry Esmond, a colonel in the service of Queen Anne of England. A typical exam ...

'' (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 Fanny Burney and first published in 1778. Although published anonymously, its authorship was revealed by the poet George Huddesford in ...

'' (1903
digital copy
''

'' (1906
digital copy
and ''

'' (1907
digital copy
*'' As You Like It'' (1909
digital copydigital copy
*'' The Merry Wives of Windsor'
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 an 1857 novel by Thomas Hughes. The stor ...

'' (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 ...

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 Irish illustrators People from Coleraine, County Londonderry