BARBIZON HOUSE

1918 - 1938

David Croal Thomson (24 October 1855-4 January 1930) was born in Edinburgh and studied drawing and painting in Edinburgh, where in 1867 he was apprenticed as a print seller and artist's colourman, and in 1872 went on to manage Hill's Picture Gallery and its art publications at 67 Princes Street, Edinburgh until 1880 and then went to Paris to continue his studies in art. In September 1880, he became the sub-editor in London, of 'The Year's Art' assisting art dealer Marcus Bourne Huish (25 November 1843–4 May 1921) until 1885, he also published several papers in the 'Scotsman' and authored its annual articles on the Paris Salon and from 1881-1888 he was the sub-editor of the 'Art Journal' and served as editor from 1892-1902. He served as representative in London to the Paris house of Boussod Valadon & Co. 1885-1897 and was the first director of the Goupil Gallery in London and from 1898 until 1908 Thomson worked with the London house of Agnew & Sons Gallery and was a partner in the firm for six years. From 1909 to 1918 he served as a partner in the French Gallery in King Street, Mayfair, which mounted exhibitions of the works of Henry Raeburn (4 March 1756–8 July 1823), Willem Maris (18 February 1844-10 October 1910), Jozef Israëls (27 January 1824–12 August 1911), Anton Mauve (18 September 1838-5 February 1888), Henri Fantin-Latour (14 January 1836–25 August 1904) and Léon-Augustin Lhermitte (31 July 1844-28 July 1925). In 1918 Thomson then went on to found and was the sole proprietor of Barbizon House at 8 Henrietta Street, Cavendish Square in Mayfair, a semi-private residence that showed examples of the Barbizon School of painters. In 1924 his son William Lockett Halton Thomson (20 August 1898-27 February 1990), known as Lockett Thomson, joined him as partner in 1924 and took over the running of Barbizon House at 8 Henrietta Street until its closure in 1938. Croal Thomson examined public and private art collections in Great Britain, France and throughout the continent and visited Canada and the United States several times. His publications include, 'Life and Work of Thomas Bewick', 1882; 'Life and Work of H. K. Browne ("Phiz")', 1884; 'Barbizon School of Painters', 1890; 'Corot', 1892; 'Luke Fildes, R.A.', 1895; 'Fifty Years of Art', 1899; 'Paris Exhibition', 1900; 'The Brothers Maris', 1907; 'Landscapes of Corot', 1911;' Matthew Maris: a souvenir,' 1918; and the much-famed magazine 'Barbizon House: an illustrated record', ran from 1919 until 1938 and depicted a large amount of the artworks covering all periods that were shown in his gallery. He also contributed to the 'Encyclopedia Britannica' and art periodicals. Thomson married at the Congregational Church, Kentish Town, London on 3 September 1884, Alice Mary Halton, daughter of Walter Fox Halton, and they had four sons, William Lockett Halton, Herbert, David, and Walter; and five daughters, Evelyne, Irene, Millicent, Marian and Elsie. David Croal Thomson died on 4 January 1930. Suffolk artists who exhibited at Barbican House include Bertram Nicholls, Henry George Rushbury and Algernon Mayow Talmage.

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Works by This Artist