Emily Gertrude Thomson (1850–1929) was a British artist and illustrator.[1]
Thomson was born in Glasgow.[2][3] She was the daughter of the Rev. Alexander Thomson (1815–1895), a minister and professor ofGreek andHebrew.[3] After being home-schooled, she studied atManchester School of Art, where she won several medals for her art.[3] In 1878 she was approached by Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) to illustrate some of his books, includingThree Sunsets and Other Poems: she also designed the cover for Carroll's 1890 bookThe Nursery "Alice",[3] and became a friend of Dodgson and wrote a short biographical memoir of him. After studying at the Manchester School of Art she attended the studio ofFrederic Shields and they became lifelong friends. Emily also studied for some time at Messrs. Wedgwood’s works at Etruria in Staffordshire painting on china.
Thomson became a member of theRoyal Miniature Society in 1912.[2] She exhibited in Manchester,Liverpool,Brussels and Canada; bothManchester Art Gallery and theVictoria and Albert Museum in London own examples of her work.[3] At various points of her career she painted portraits, illustrated books and designed stained glass.
Thomson's stained glass windows can be seen at theChurch of St John the Divine, Brooklands in Cheshire, and atCheltenham Ladies’ College.[3] The Britomart Windows at Cheltenham Ladies’ College are based upon six pictures taken fromEdmund Spenser’s allegory ofThe Faerie Queene. They were produced byHeaton, Butler and Bayne. Thomson designed four of the windows including the Lady Knight andFrederic Shields designed two – the first and the fifth.
Thomson became an illustrator with numerous different commissions - one being:The Fairies – A Child’s Song, written byWilliam Allingham who was part of theRossetti Circle.
The Fairies was one of Dodgson’s favourite books. When he saw Thomson's work he contacted her and asked her to do some illustrations for him, but she took so long on the cover forThe Nursery "Alice" that in the end the book went to press initially without it. In between Thomson's front and back covers, it contained twenty illustrations byJohn Tenniel which were coloured by Thomson. Thomson and Dodgson not only became working colleagues, but close friends right up to Dodgson’s death.
Thomson produced many fine portraits and was a member of theRoyal Miniature Society. She also drew a number of Russian refugees for illustrations, includingPrince Kropotkin, inCharles Rowley’s bookFifty Years of Work Without Wages.
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