Hammond, Lansing V. (Lansing Van der Heyden), 1906-

Hugh Thomson, British artist and illustrator.

From the description of Lansing V. Hammond collection of Hugh Thomson, 1879-1958. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79699386

From the description of Lansing V. Hammond collection of Hugh Thomson, 1879-1958. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702161888

Hugh Thomson was born on 1 June 1860 in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. He was educated in Coleraine, and as a young man worked for Marcus Ward & Co., a Belfast publishing company. While employed there, he was befriended by John Vinycomb, the head of the company's Art Department and a member of the Royal Irish Academy, who served as an early mentor for the artist. Thomson moved to London in 1883, where he met William Comyns Carr, the editor of The English Illustrated Magazine . Thomson submitted his artwork to the magazine, and he soon became a frequent contributor. In 1884 he married Jessie Naismith, a woman from Belfast, with whom he had one son.

While Thomson often contributed illustrations to periodicals such as The English Illustrated Magazine and The Graphic, he was perhaps better known through his illustrations of popular books. He illustrated a series of books called Highways and Byways, many new editions of works by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and George Eliot, as well as more contemporary works by James Lane Allen and Austin Dobson.

After several years of poor health, Thomson died of heart disease on 7 May 1920 in England.

From the guide to the Lansing V. Hammond collection of Hugh Thomson, 1879-1958, (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library)