Thomas Forster (artist) facts for kids
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Thomas Forster was a talented English artist who lived a long time ago, from around 1676 to after 1712. He was known for drawing amazing portraits, especially small ones called miniatures. These were detailed pictures of people, often drawn with a pencil.
What Kind of Art Did He Make?
Forster was famous for his small, detailed portraits. He drew them using a pencil on a special material called vellum, which is like a very fine, smooth paper. People who saw his work said he drew with "exquisite care and feeling." This means his art was very precise and showed a lot of emotion.
Many of his drawings were made to be used as "frontispieces." A frontispiece is an illustration that appears at the very beginning of a book, usually facing the title page. Some of the people he drew for books included important figures like John Savage, Sir Thomas Littleton (who was a Speaker, a leader in the government), and William Lloyd (a bishop).
Unlike some other artists of his time, like David Loggan or Robert White, Thomas Forster did not make the engravings himself. Engraving is a process where an image is carved into a surface, like metal, so it can be printed many times. Forster would draw the portrait, and then someone else, like Michael Van der Gucht, would engrave it.
Many of Forster's drawings have been shown in special art exhibitions. For example, some of his miniature portraits were displayed at the South Kensington Museum in London in 1865. These included portraits of important people like Robert, Lord Lucas, Archbishop Ussher, and John, Lord Somers. A drawing of Margaret Harcourt was even bought by the British Museum, which is a very famous museum. His portraits are still highly valued today.
Gallery
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Portrait of a Man (1699)
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Portrait of Lady Anne Churchill (1700)
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Portrait of a Man (1700)
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Portrait of a Woman (1700)
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Portrait of a Woman (1701)
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Portrait of a Man (1705)
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Banqueting House, Whitehall (undated)
