George Housman Thomas facts for kids

George Housman Thomas (born in London on December 17, 1824 – died in Boulogne-sur-Mer on July 21, 1868) was a talented British artist. He was a wood-engraver, an illustrator who drew pictures for books, and a painter.

Life of a Traveling Artist

George Thomas was born in London in 1824. When he was young, he learned the skill of wood-engraving from a master named George Wilmot Bonner. After his training, he moved to Paris, France. There, he first worked as an engraver, carving designs into wood, and then as a draughtsman, which means he drew pictures on wood blocks for printing.

In 1846, George traveled across the ocean to the United States. He worked in New York City, drawing pictures for a local newspaper. He stayed there for about two years. During this time, the government of the United States even asked him to design pictures for their banknotes (paper money)!

However, his health wasn't great, so he had to return to Europe. He went to Italy. While he was there, he witnessed the siege of Rome in 1849. This was when the French army surrounded the city. George drew sketches of the siege and sent them to a famous newspaper called the Illustrated London News.

After spending two years in Italy, he returned to England. He lived in the London areas of Kingston and Surbiton. Sadly, his health got worse, and he moved to Boulogne-sur-Mer in France, where he passed away on July 21, 1868. After his death, a collection of his artworks was shown in London in 1869, and his sketches were sold at a famous auction house.

Famous Artworks

Around 1850, George Thomas created many woodcuts (prints made from wood carvings) for Harriet Beecher Stowe's famous book, Uncle Tom's Cabin. He also illustrated other popular books, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's The Song of Hiawatha and Anthony Trollope's Last Chronicle of Barset.

George also painted many pictures. His first painting, St. Anthony's Day at Rome, was shown in 1851. Another important painting was Garibaldi at Rome, which he painted using the sketches he made during the siege in 1849. This painting was shown in 1854 and became very popular.

Paintings for Queen Victoria

George Thomas became a favorite artist of Queen Victoria herself! She asked him to paint several important moments and scenes. Some of these paintings include:

• Distribution of Crimean Medals, 18 May 1855 (1858) – This showed the Queen giving out medals to soldiers.
• Review in the Champ de Mars in Honour of Queen Victoria (1859) – A painting of a military parade in Paris.
• Parade at Potsdam, 17 August 1858 (1860) – Another military parade scene.
• Marriage of the Prince of Wales (1863) – A painting of the wedding of the Queen's eldest son.
• Marriage of the Princess Alice (1863) – A painting of another royal wedding.
• The Queen and Prince Consort at Aldershot, 1859 (1866) – Showing the Queen and her husband at a military camp.
• The Queen investing the Sultan of Turkey with the Order of the Garter (1868) – This painting showed the Queen giving a special award to the Sultan of Turkey.

All these paintings were shown at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. George Thomas also painted other scenes, including military events and everyday life, like Rotten Row (1862).

Images for kids

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  G H. Thomas: Andrea Aguyar riding behind Garibaldi, "Illustrated London News", July 21, 1849