First blue plaque to include the word ‘geographer’ unveiled in London

On 8 August a blue plaque was unveiled to commemorate eminent photographer, travel writer and geographer, John Thomson FRGS. This is the 1,112th blue plaque in London, but the first to include the word ‘geographer’. 

John Thomson had significant links to the Society, having been elected a Fellow in 1866, appointed an Instructor in Photography in 1886, and elected a Society Life Fellow in 1917.  Jamie Owen, Image Licensing Sales Manager for the Society, said: “The Society today is seen as an early adopter of the photographic medium and this is in no small part due to John Thomson. His energy and foresightedness set the groundwork for a collection that contains examples of photography by those that he directly influenced and taught such as Isabella Bird, the Victorian travel writer and photographer, and one of the first women to be elected to the Society as a Fellow”.

English Heritage has installed the blue plaque at 15 Effra Road in Brixton, marking the house where Thomson lived during the 1870s following his return from Asia. Thomson documented his travels of over 4,000 miles from Hong Kong to the Yangtze-Kiang in his seminal work, Illustrations of China and its People (1873-4), and in so doing created a far broader panorama of Eastern culture than had previously been seen in the West. For example, with the permission of King Mongkut of Siam, he took the first known photographs of the ruins of Angkor Wat in 1866.  

Betty Yao MBE, a member of the John Thomson Commemoration Group and a key campaigner for the blue plaque installation, commented: “The combination of him being a writer, photographer and traveller from that era is unusual”. At a time when most western photographers in the region were government officials or missionaries, Betty considers his work to be “pioneering, setting the standard for future travel photographers”. 

Thomson was also interested in the world closer to home. Street Life in London, his series of photographs and essays revealing the conditions of poverty in London, along with his work in the Far East, continues to garner significant interest. Discussing the enduring influence of Thomson, Betty said: “His photography is not just a trip down memory lane of a Victorian photographer, it has stood the test of time and is still relevant today.”

Reflecting on the blue plaque installation, Jamie said: “The Society owes John Thomson a significant debt of gratitude, and it was pleasing to listen to so many of the speeches at the unveiling of the plaque telling of how central the Society and its work was to the life and career of one of our greatest photographers.”

If you would like to learn more, the Society holds a large amount of material on John Thomson, either search our catalogue or talk to the team in the Foyle Reading Room. Members can also watch a Monday night lecture on the photographer.