E. Gertrude Thomson

Thomson was born in Glasgow. She was the daughter of the Rev. Alexander Thomson (1815–1895), a minister and professor of Greek and Hebrew. After being home-schooled, she studied at Manchester School of Art, where she won several medals for her art. In 1878 she was approached by Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) to illustrate some of his books, including Three Sunsets and Other Poems: she also designed the cover for Carroll's 1890 book The Nursery "Alice", 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 of Frederic 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 the Royal Miniature Society in 1912. She exhibited in Manchester, Liverpool, Brussels and Canada; both Manchester Art Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London own examples of her work. At various points of her career she painted portraits, illustrated books and designed stained glass.

• Illustration — The Lady Knight, one of the Britomart Windows at Cheltenham Ladies’ College Thomson's stained glass windows can be seen at the Church of St John the Divine, Brooklands in Cheshire, and at Cheltenham Ladies’ College. The Britomart Windows at Cheltenham Ladies’ College are based upon six pictures taken from Edmund Spenser’s allegory of The Faerie Queene. They were produced by Heaton, Butler and Bayne. Thomson designed four of the windows including the Lady Knight and Frederic Shields designed two – the first and the fifth.

Thomson produced many fine portraits and was a member of the Royal Miniature Society. She also drew a number of Russian refugees for illustrations, including Prince Kropotkin, in Charles Rowley’s book Fifty Years of Work Without Wages. • Illustration — Charles Rowley and Frederic Shields in his garden, photographed by Emily Thomson • Illustration — Miniature of Lewis Carroll. • Illustration — Prince Kropotkin, drawing

The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count. Gertrude Thomson is recorded with the occupation illustrator. Institutional cataloguing adds that e. Gertrude Thomson is recorded with the occupation painter. It is also recorded that e. Gertrude Thomson is recorded as a citizen of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Gertrude Thomson is recorded with the gender female. Gertrude Thomson was born on 1 January 1850. Gertrude Thomson died on 1 January 1929. The record continues: e.