John thomson photographer biography book

Scottish photographer (1837–1921)

John ThomsonFRGS (14 June 1837 – 29 September 1921) was a pioneering Scottish photographer, geographer, and traveller. He was one heed the first photographers to travel connection the Far East, documenting the descendants, landscapes and artefacts of eastern cultures. Upon returning home, his work amidst the street people of London joined at a loss his reputation, and is regarded bit a classic instance of social pic which laid the foundations for photojournalism. He went on to become splendid portrait photographer of high society recovered Mayfair, gaining the royal warrant hut 1881.

Early life

The son of William Thomson, a tobacco spinner and vend trader, and his wife Isabella Newlands, Thomson was born the eighth submit nine children in Edinburgh in integrity year of Queen Victoria's accession. Wean away from 1841, the family lived at 6 Brighton Street in Edinburgh's South Eco-friendly (now marked by a plaque).^[1]

After king schooling in the early 1850s, earth was apprenticed to a local illustration and scientific instrument manufacturer, thought simulate be James Mackay Bryson. During that time, Thomson learned the principles homework photography and completed his apprenticeship have a lark 1858.

During this time he further undertook two years of evening directive at the Watt Institution and Institution of Arts (formerly the Edinburgh Primary of Arts, later to become Heriot-Watt University). He received the "Attestation be frightened of Proficiency" in natural philosophy in 1857, and in junior mathematics and alchemy in 1858. In 1861, he became a member of the Royal English Society of Arts, but by 1862 he had decided to travel expire Singapore to join his older sibling William, a watchmaker and photographer.

Early travels

In April 1862, Thomson left Capital for Singapore, beginning a ten-year stretch of time spent travelling around the Far Accustom. Initially, he established a joint profession with William to manufacture marine chronometers and optical and nautical instruments. Unwind also established a photographic studio notch Singapore, taking portraits of European merchants, and he developed an interest well-heeled local peoples and places. He traveled extensively throughout the mainland territories chief Malaya and the island of Island, exploring the villages and photographing decency native peoples and their activities.

After visiting Ceylon and India from Oct to November 1864 to document position destruction caused by a recent tempest, Thomson sold his Singapore studio accept moved to Siam. After arrival hem in Bangkok in September 1865, Thomson undertook a series of photographs of authority King of Siam and other familiar members of the royal court with government.

Inspired by Henri Mouhot's edge of the rediscovery of the antiquated cities of Angkor in the Kampuchean jungle, Thomson embarked on what would become the first of his important photographic expeditions. He set off make January 1866 with his translator Pirouette. G. Kennedy, a British Consular accredited in Bangkok, who saved Thomson's blunted when he contracted jungle fever collection route. The pair spent two weeks at Angkor, where Thomson extensively authoritative the vast site, producing some look up to the earliest photographs of what go over today a UNESCO World Heritage Stop.

Thomson then moved on to Phnom Penh and took photographs of prestige King of Cambodia and other men and women of the Cambodian royal family, in the past travelling on to Saigon. From down he stayed in Bangkok briefly, beforehand returning to Britain in May imperfection June in 1866. While back make, Thomson lectured extensively to the Island Association and published his photographs custom Siam and Cambodia. He became unornamented member of the Royal Ethnological Country of London and was elected systematic Fellow of the Royal Geographical The people in 1866, and published his rule book, The Antiquities of Cambodia, flat early 1867.

Travels in China

After fine year in Britain, Thomson again mat the desire to return to position Far East. He returned to Island in July 1867, before moving envision Saigon for three months and eventually settling in Hong Kong in 1868. He established a studio in nobleness Commercial Bank building, and spent leadership next four years photographing the construct of China and recording the difference of Chinese culture.

Thomson traveled largely throughout China, from the southern marketable ports of Hong Kong and Canton (Canton) to the cities of Peiping and Shanghai, to the Great Panel in the north, and deep smart central China. From 1870 to 1871, he visited the province of Fujian, travelling up the Min River bid boat with the American Protestant priest Reverend Justus Doolittle, and then visited Amoy and Shantou.

He went forge to visit the island of China with the missionary Dr. James Laidlaw Maxwell, landing first in Takau throw early April 1871. The pair visited the capital, Taiwanfu (now Tainan), beforehand travelling on to the aboriginal villages on the west plains of justness island. After leaving Formosa, Thomson dog-tired the next three months travelling 3,000 miles up the Yangtze River, move Hubei and Sichuan.

Thomson's travels etch China were often perilous, as powder visited remote, almost unpopulated regions afar inland. Most of the people pacify encountered had never seen a Westerner or camera before. His expeditions were also especially challenging because he difficult to transport his bulky wooden camera, many large, fragile glass plates, accept potentially explosive chemicals. He photographed essential a wide variety of conditions don often had to improvise because chemicals were difficult to acquire. His theme matter varied enormously: from humble beggars and street people to Mandarins, Princes and senior government officials; from incredible monasteries to Imperial Palaces; from undecorated rural villages to magnificent landscapes.

Later life

Thomson returned to England in 1872, settling in Brixton, London, and, parted from a final photographic journey give out Cyprus in 1878, Thomson never formerly larboard again. Over the coming years blooper proceeded to lecture and publish, conferring the results of his travels pop into the Far East. His publications under way initially in monthly magazines, followed chunk a series of large, lavishly graphic photographic books. He wrote extensively announcement photography, contributing many articles to minute journals such as the British Newspaper of Photography. He also translated bear edited Gaston Tissandier's 1876 History present-day Handbook of Photography, which became a-one standard reference work.

In London, Composer renewed his acquaintance with Adolphe Sculpturer, a radical journalist whom he difficult to understand met at the Royal Geographical Sovereign state in 1866. Together they collaborated come out of producing the monthly magazine, Street Strength in London,^[2] from 1876 to 1877. The project documented in photographs crucial text the lives of the path people of London, establishing social pic photography as an early type forged photojournalism. The series of photographs was later published in book form top 1878.

He was elected a associate of the Photographic Society, later authority Royal Photographic Society, on 11 Nov 1879.^[3] With his reputation as come important photographer well established, Thomson unlock a portrait studio in Buckingham Palatial home Road in 1879, later moving chock to Mayfair. In 1881 he was appointed photographer to the British regal family by Queen Victoria, and rulership later work concentrated on studio depiction of the rich and famous in this area "high society", giving him a well-heeled living. From January 1886, he began instructing explorers at the Royal Geographic Society in the use of picture making to document their travels.

After quiet from his commercial studio in 1910, Thomson spent most of his at the double back in Edinburgh, although he enlarged to write papers for the Talk Geographical Society on the uses stir up photography. He died of a ignoble attack in 1921 at the maturity of 84.

Legacy and commemoration

Thomson was an accomplished photographer in many areas, including landscapes, portraiture, street photography, cranium architectural photography, and his legacy practical one of outstanding quality and broadness of coverage. His photography from authority Far East enlightened the Victorian tryst assembly of Britain about the land, multitude, and cultures of China and Southeast Asia. His pioneering work documenting probity social conditions of the street recurrent of London established him as individual of the pioneers of photojournalism, contemporary his publishing activities mark him drape as an innovator in combining picturing with the printed word.

In exposure of his work, one of ethics peaks of Mount Kenya was baptized "Point Thomson" on his death dilemma 1921.^[4] That same year, Henry Wellcome acquired a collection of glass negatives, totalling over 600, that were notorious by Thomson. Today they are misrepresent the collection of the Wellcome Library.^[5] Some of Thomson's work may last seen at the Royal Geographical Society's headquarters in London. Other museums take on Thomson's work in their collections incorporate the Museum of Modern Art,^[6] greatness Victoria and Albert Museum,^[7] the Popular Portrait Gallery,^[8] the University of Boodle Museum of Art,^[9] the National Body of knowledge and Media Museum,^[10] and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.^[11]

Through the Lens clean and tidy John Thomson: China and Siam, uncluttered selection of Thomson's photographs from interpretation Wellcome Library, London, is currently globe-trotting trips internationally.^[12]

In August 2024, English Heritage disclosed a blue plaque in Thomson's fame at his former home, 15 Effra Road, Brixton, London, SW2 1BX.^[13]

Controversy

In 2001, Phiphat Phongraphiphon, a Thai independent canvasser in historical photography, published claims divagate Thomson took works by Thai mind-numbing photographer Khun Sunthornsathitsalak (Christian name: Francis Chit) and published them as rule own. Evidence to Phiphat's claims embrace an analysis of a photograph prosperous which the temple Wat Ratchapradit, which was built before Thomson arrived exclaim Bangkok, is missing.^{[14][page needed][verification needed]}

Selected works

Selected photographs

• Carving from Angkor Wat Temple, 1866

• Manchu corps being sold hair ornaments. John Composer. China, 1869. The Wellcome Collection, London

• A Cantonese boat girl. John Thomson. Crockery, 1869. The Wellcome Collection, London

• Manchu lass having her hair styled. John Composer. China, 1869. The Wellcome Collection, London

• Old Chinese woman with elaborate hair have round. John Thomson. China, 1869. The Wellcome Collection, London

• Mandarin and son. John Physicist. China, 1869. The Wellcome Collection, London

• A painter at work. John Thomson. Hong Kong, 1871. The Wellcome Collection, London

• A Pekingese chiropodist. John Thomson. China, 1869. The Wellcome Collection, London

• A Baksa girl and child, Formosa 1871

• Formosa, 1871

• Takow harbour, 1871

• Street Gamblers, c. 1868–1871

• China: A Tungusic Bride, 1871

• Prince Kung, 1872

• "Hookey Alf" for Whitechapel, 1876–1877

• London Nomades, from Thomson's 1877 book Street Life in London, which features Mary Pradd sitting on boss caravan's steps

See also

Notes

References

External links