Wikipedia entry
Introduction
Charles Thurston Thompson (1816–1868) was an early British photographer. Thompson is credited with having taken the first ever photograph of a photographic exhibition, in his capacity as the official photographer of the South Kensington Museum, now known as the Victoria and Albert Museum, appointed to the role in 1856. In 1858, he photographed the Raphael Cartoons of the Royal Collection, which in 1865 were moved from Hampton Court to be exhibited at the museum, where they remain in a special gallery. Thompson went on a tour of Spain and Portugal in 1866 to photograph works of art and architecture. He died in Paris, France, in 1868. His work is included in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Getty Museum, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Wikidata
Q18527008
Information from Wikipedia, made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Getty record
Introduction
Thompson worked as a wood engraver until the 1840s, at which time he took up photography. Most of Thompson's work in photography was done for the Department of Science and Art, London. Thompson acted as the official photographer for the South Kensington Museum in London from 1857 to 1867, during which time he trained military engineers in photography so they could document engineering projects and report events throughout the empire to the War Department. In 1858, Thompson photographed the Raphael Cartoons in the collection of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, for use in art schools.
Nationalities
British, English, Canadian
Gender
Male
Roles
Artist, Teacher, Engraver, Wood Engraver, Photographer
Names
Charles Thurston Thompson, C. Thurston Thompson, Thurston Thompson, Charles Thurston Thomson
Ulan
500023281
Information from Getty’s Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License

Works

5 works online

Exhibitions

Publication

  • Photography at MoMA: 1840–1920 Hardcover, 376 pages
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