Thomas Hosmer Shepherd (1792 – 1864) was a watercolor artist well known for his architectural works. Brother of topographical artist George "Sidney" Shepherd

George Shepherd (artist)

George "Sidney" Shepherd was a British draughtsman and watercolour painter. At one time, George Shepherd and George Sidney Shepherd were thought to be two different people; it is now believed that they are one and the same person.- Biography :...

, Thomas was employed to illustrate architecture in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, and later Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

, Bath and Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

. His paintings were the basis for steel engraving

Engraving

Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...

s in many books (see bibliography).

Shepherd's work, mostly topographical, is characterized by an attention to detail, along with life-like scenes that contained people, carriages and horses. His first acclaim came with Metropolitan improvements, a publication of modern London architecture commissioned by Jones & Co. He worked mostly for Frederick Crace

Frederick Crace

Frederick Crace was an English interior decorator, who worked for George IV when Prince of Wales, for whom he created the chinoiserie interiors of the Brighton Pavilion. Crace was also a collector of maps and topographical prints, now at the British Library.Frederick was the son of the prominent...

, who employed him to paint old London buildings prior to their demolition, with much of the work surviving in the Crace collection at the British Museum

British Museum

The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...

Selected bibliography

• T. H. Shepherd & James Elmes. Metropolitan improvements: London in the nineteenth century (London: Jones & Co. 1827).
• John Britton & T. H. Shepherd. Moder Athens displayed in a series of views or Edinburgh in the 19th century (Jones & Co., 1829).
• T. H. Shepherd & James Elmes. London and its Environs in the Nineteenth Century (London: Jones & Co. 1831).
• John Britton & T. H. Shepherd. Bath and Bristol, with the counties of Somerset and Gloucester, displayed in a series of views, including the modern improvements, pricturesque scenery, antiquities, etc. (London, W. Evans, 1831?).
• T H Shepherd. London Interiors (London: D. Omer Smith, 1841?)

External links

• T H Shepherd on Artnet
• Paintings by T H Shepherd (Bridgeman Art Library)
• Views by T H Shepherd (Chris Beetles)
• Works by T H Shepherd (National Maritime Museum
  National Maritime Museum
  The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich,...
  
  , London)
• London Views - Thomas H. Shepherd (antiquemapsandprints.com)
• View of the Bank of England (1816 aquatint)
• London Docks, looking west (1831 engraving)