Hugh Thomson (1860–1920) was an Irish artist. Along with Randolph Caldecott, Kate Greenaway, and Chris(tiana Mary Demain) Hammond, Thomson’s illustrations were essentially conservative recreations of an idealized pre-industrial England, with idyllic natural settings and picturesque, often neo-classical, architecture.
I love his illustrations for the 1894 Pride and Prejudice for their arch facial expressions and well-observed little details (and the meticulous research about the fashions of the day), but I'm also amused imagining how distressed he might be by the progressive politics of my version of Austen’s story (Aether and Ego, out September 2026 with Inanna Publications). I don’t know for sure what his politics were, but I imagine that they were pretty conservative based on his illustrative style.
Links for my novel:
Publisher: https://inanna.ca/product/aether-and-ego/
Buying options: https://joannemerriam.com/books/aether-and-ego/#orders
#bookstodon #JaneAusten #PrideAndPrejudice #bookish #steampunk #RegencyRomance