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

Background

Thulstrup was born in Stockholm, Sweden. 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 and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

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 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'', ''

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 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. Although artists may stu ...

. 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 ...

, 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, 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'' 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 (1862); The

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mis ...

(1863); The Chattanooga Campaign (1863); Appointment as Commander-in-Chief by Abraham Lincoln (1864); The Surrender of General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House (1865) File:Battle_of_Spottsylvania_by_Thure_de_Thulstrup.jpg, ''

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 186 ...

References

External links