Bror Thure Thulstrup - from Svenskt Porträttgalleri XX

Thure de Thulstrup (April 5, 1848 – June 9, 1930), born Bror Thure Thulstrup in Sweden, was a leading American illustrator with contributions for numerous magazines, including three decades of work for ''

Harper's Weekly ''Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization'' was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor, ...

''.''

Dictionary of Literary Biography The ''Dictionary of Literary Biography'' is a specialist biographical dictionary dedicated to literature. Published by Gale, the 375-volume setRogers, 106. covers a wide variety of literary topics, periods, and genres, with a focus on American an ...

'' (online edition)
Thure de Thulstrup
p. 1. Thulstrup primarily illustrated historical military scenes.

Background

Thulstrup was born in

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropoli ...

. His father was Sweden's Secretary of the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

amongst other such positions. After graduating from the Royal Swedish Military Academy, Thulstrup joined the Swedish military as an artillery officer at the age of twenty. However, he soon left Sweden for Paris, where he joined the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...

and saw service in the Franco-Prussian War.''Dictionary of Literary Biography'' (online ed.)
Thure de Thulstrup
p. 2. Thulstrup also served in the French part of Northern Africa as a member of the First

Zouave The Zouaves were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army serving between 1830 and 1962 and linked to French North Africa; as well as some units of other countries modelled upon them. The zouaves were among the most decorated unit ...

Regiment.

Career

After leaving the French Army, Thulstrup moved to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 1872 to become a civil engineer. He moved to the United States in 1873, where he became an artist for the ''New York Daily Graphic'', and, later, ''

Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper ''Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper'', later renamed ''Leslie's Weekly'', was an American illustrated literary and news magazine founded in 1855 and published until 1922. It was one of several magazines started by publisher and illustrator Frank ...

'', documenting local events.''Dictionary of Literary Biography'' (online ed.)
Thure de Thulstrup
pp. 3–4. As his skills improved, he became able to move into more and more prestigious roles, including work for ''

Century A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

'', ''

Harper's Monthly ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

'', and ''

Scribner's Magazine ''Scribner's Magazine'' was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939. ''Scribner's Magazine'' was the second magazine out of the Scribner's firm, after the publication of ' ...

''. While living in New York, Thulstrup studied at the

Art Students League The Art Students League of New York is an art school at American Fine Arts Society, 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists ...

. His military pictures include a series of paintings depicting the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and illustrations of a

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

n lifestyle in the middle of the eighteenth century. Thulstrup primarily illustrated historical military scenes, and was praised by one of his publishers,

Louis Prang Louis Prang (March 12, 1824June 15, 1909) was an American printer, lithographer, publisher, and Georgist. He is sometimes known as the "father of the American Christmas card". Youth Prang was born in Breslau in Prussian Silesia. His fath ...

, as "the foremost military artist in America", a sentiment echoed by other contemporary critics. He also illustrated various other subjects.

Personal life

Thulstrup married Lucie Bavoillot in 1879.''Dictionary of Literary Biography'' (online ed.)
Thure de Thulstrup
p. 5. He died on June 9, 1930, leaving behind no children, and no personal papers of his have survived. Following his death, his illustrations have been labeled as "some of the most familiar scenes of American life now extant".

Gallery

File:Thure de Thulstrup - H. Rider Haggard - Maiwa's Revenge - Fire, you scoundrels.jpg,

Allan Quatermain Allan Quatermain is the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel ''King Solomon's Mines'', its one sequel ''Allan Quatermain'' (1887), twelve prequel novels and four prequel short stories, totalling eighteen works. An English professional ...

orders his men to fire, having waited until the last minute, an 1888 illustration for H. Rider Haggard's ''

Maiwa's Revenge ''Maiwa's Revenge, or The War of the Little Hand'' is a short novel by English writer H. Rider Haggard about the hunter Allan Quatermain. The story involves Quatermain going on a hunting expedition, then taking part in an attack on a native kraal ...

'' during its serial publication in ''

'' File:Ulysses S. Grant from West Point to Appomattox.jpg, ''Grant from West Point to Appomattox'', an 1885 lithograph by Thulstrup. Clockwise from lower left: Graduation from West Point (1843); In the tower at

Chapultepec Chapultepec, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" (Chapultepec Forest) in Mexico City, is one of the largest city parks in Mexico, measuring in total just over 686 hectares (1,695 acres). Centered on a rock formation called Chapultep ...

(1847); Drilling his Volunteers (1861); The

Battle of Fort Donelson The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11–16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The Union capture of the Confederate fort near the Tennessee–Kentucky border opened the Cumberland River, an important ave ...

(1862); The

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...

(1862); The Siege of Vicksburg (1863); The Chattanooga Campaign (1863); Appointment as Commander-in-Chief by Abraham Lincoln (1864); The Surrender of General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

Appomattox Court House Appomattox Court House could refer to: * The village of Appomattox Court House, now the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, in central Virginia (U.S.), where Confederate army commander Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union commander Ulyss ...

(1865) File:Battle_of_Spottsylvania_by_Thure_de_Thulstrup.jpg, '' Battle of Spotsylvania Court House''

References

External links