Thomas Henry
Encyclopedia
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, best remembered for his illustrations of Richmal Crompton
Richmal Crompton
Richmal Crompton Lamburn was a British writer, most famous for her Just William humorous short stories and books.-Life:...
's William
Just William
Just William is the first book of children's short stories about the young school boy William Brown, written by Richmal Crompton, and published in 1922. The book was the first in the series of William Brown books which was the basis for numerous television series, films and radio adaptations...
books.
Biography
Thomas Henry Fisher was born in 1879 at Eastwood, NottinghamshireEastwood, Nottinghamshire
Eastwood is a former coal mining town in the Broxtowe district of Nottinghamshire, England. With a population of over 18,000, it is northwest of Nottingham, and northeast of Derby, on the border between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Mentioned in Domesday Book, it expanded rapidly during the...
. The oldest of 3 brothers, he became an apprentice to T. Bailey Forman (Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
newspaper proprietors and printers) at the young age of fourteen. Numerous paintings and sketches he made outside contract were used by his employers for publishing merchandise like wall calendar
Wall calendar
A wall calendar is a calendar intended for placement on a wall. Wall calendars can serve as reminders of holidays, important events, and company events. They typically consist of a collection of images on a given subject....
s. He parallelly attended the Nottingham School of Art
Nottingham Trent University, School of Art and Design
Founded in 1843, the School of Art and Design at Nottingham Trent University is one of the oldest in the United Kingdom and currently has more than 2,500 students.-History:...
.
His first published works are probably cartoons for the Nottingham Football Post, in September, 1904. He parallelly freelanced under the name of Thomas Henry. Pastel
Pastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
and watercolour were his chosen mediums at that time.
Thomas Henry was associated with the advertising division of Nottingham-based cigarette firm John Players
John Player & Sons
John Player & Sons, known simply as Player's, was a tobacco and cigarette manufacturer based in Nottingham, England. It is today a part of the Imperial Tobacco Group.-History:...
and was reputed to have assisted in the updating of the famous sailor's head, found on the Navy Cut cigarette packet.
He married Gertrude Ellen Mensing from Cotgrave
Cotgrave
-History:Cotgrave is a town in the borough of Rushcliffe, in Nottinghamshire, England, lying south east of Nottingham. With a relatively small population and an ancient heart that has largely escaped development Cotgrave has a village atmosphere...
in 1906 and settled down in Plumtree, Nottinghamshire
Plumtree, Nottinghamshire
Plumtree is a village and civil parish in the borough of Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 221.It is situated to the south east of Nottingham, between the villages of Tollerton and Keyworth....
, a neighbouring village on the outskirts of Nottingham. Their daughter Marjorie was born in 1911.
Thomas Henry's rise as an illustrator was fast. He regularly started publishing cartoons in top magazines like Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
by 1913. By 1920, he was an established illustrator, having published widely in leading publications like the Strand Magazine
Strand Magazine
The Strand Magazine was a monthly magazine composed of fictional stories and factual articles founded by George Newnes. It was first published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950 running to 711 issues, though the first issue was on sale well before Christmas 1890.Its immediate...
and London Mail. Henry defined the image of Richmal Crompton's William for magazines in 1919 and followed it up by illustrating the first William book - Just William
Just William
Just William is the first book of children's short stories about the young school boy William Brown, written by Richmal Crompton, and published in 1922. The book was the first in the series of William Brown books which was the basis for numerous television series, films and radio adaptations...
, when it was published in 1922. He eventually went on to illustrate 33 William books.
Among his other works of this period were illustrations for numerous other children's books like Our Elizabeth Again by Florence Kirkpatrick. He was also the first illustrator of Evadne Price
Evadne Price
Evadne Price , who wrote mostly under the pseudonym Helen Zenna Smith, was an English writer, actress, astrologer and media personality....
's Jane
Jane Turpin
Jane Turpin is a fictional girl character, created by Evadne Price. Most of these stories were published in the Novel magazine and later compiled in a book form, in the period 1928 to 1947...
stories when they appeared in the Novel magazine between 1927 and 1937. He illustrated the first three collections of Jane stories at the publishing house of Newnes
George Newnes
Sir George Newnes, 1st Baronet was a publisher and editor in England.-Background and education:...
, which folded into IPC Media
IPC Media
IPC Media , a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc., is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year.- Origins :...
(now a branch of Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
). However, he signed his name as "Marriott", as Evadne Price was eager not to associate the Jane stories and the William stories, and disliked the reference to the character of Jane as the "female William".
Thomas Henry was a prolific contributor as a cover artist and illustrator to children's magazines of the period like The Happy Mag, The Crusoe Mag, The Sunny Mag and Tit Bits Summer Annual. He was also a frequent contributor to children's annual
Annual publication
An annual publication, more often called simply an annual, is a book or a magazine, comic book or comic strip published yearly. For example, a weekly or monthly publication may produce an Annual featuring similar materials to the regular publication....
s like Blackie's Boys Annual and The Boys' Budget in the same capacity.
His first wife Gertrude died prematurely in 1932, and a few years later he married his second wife Anne Bailey, with whom he later settled in Old Dalby, Leicestershire.
He also became a successful illustrator of seaside postcards, often saucy ones with double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
s. He started as early as 1913, continuing well into the 1950s. He created a series of postcards for the purpose of fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
for the National Institute for the Blind, depicting visually handicapped people in poignant situations. He created other "sets" of postcards, including one of William and his friends, and another depicting a fictitious pair of children - Jane and Herbert.
Thomas Henry died in 1962, leaving illustrations for the current William book - William and the Witch, incomplete. He was influenced by the work of Cecil Aldin
Cecil Aldin
Cecil Charles Windsor Aldin was a British artist and illustrator best known for his paintings and sketches of animals, sports, and rural life.-Life and work:...
. Thomas Henry also had a painting displayed at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
.
William illustrations
Richmal Crompton
Richmal Crompton Lamburn was a British writer, most famous for her Just William humorous short stories and books.-Life:...
that lasted until his death 43 years later. He illustrated William stories in the Home Magazine
Home Magazine
Home Magazine was a magazine published in the United States by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S..Home was founded in 1981 and concluded publication with the October 2008 issue. It appeared ten times a year and had a circulation of one million. Its website, PointClickHome.com, continued updating until...
(1919–1922) and in the Happy Mag (1922 onwards). He illustrated and painted book covers for a total of 33 William books for the publishing firm of Newnes
George Newnes
Sir George Newnes, 1st Baronet was a publisher and editor in England.-Background and education:...
. He also made numerous William strip cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
s for magazines. He drew about 800 cartoons with 3 frames per story in the Woman's Own
Woman's Own
Woman's Own is a British lifestyle magazine aimed at women.Woman's Own was first published in 1932. It is one of the UK's most famous women's magazines and is published by IPC Media....
magazine from 1947 to 1962. The illustrations for the magazines were done in a traditional hatch
Hatching
Hatching is an artistic technique used to create tonal or shading effects by drawing closely spaced parallel lines...
style.
Surprisingly, Thomas Henry met Richmal Crompton face to face only once, at a book festival luncheon in Nottingham. Their meeting created some publicity much to his embarrassment. However, Thomas Henry created all the cartoons with the approval of Richmal Crompton, and would consult her if the publisher's storyline was atypical of the character of William Brown.
As William's character does not age with time, the image of William Brown changed little over 43 years. However, William's attire was changed by Thomas Henry to a more modern attire from the waistcoat
Waistcoat
A waistcoat or vest is a sleeveless upper-body garment worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear, and as the third piece of the three-piece male business suit.-Characteristics and use:...
and starched collar
Collar (clothing)
In clothing, a collar is the part of a shirt, dress, coat or blouse that fastens around or frames the neck. Among clothing construction professionals, a collar is differentiated from other necklines such as revers and lapels, by being made from a separate piece of fabric, rather than a folded or...
.
Thomas Henry only completed some of the drawings for the 34th William book William and the Witch. Hence, some drawings in this book are by Thomas Henry and the rest of the drawings are by his successor Henry Ford.
William merchandise
Thomas Henry created two William jigsaw puzzleJigsaw puzzle
A jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellating pieces.Each piece usually has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture...
s, one William card game
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
, a William magic painting book, a set of William postcard
Postcard
A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....
s and other merchandise as commercially successful promotion of the William Brown character.
Selected bibliography
- Gullible's Travels in Little-Brit, William Hodgson Burnet, W. Westall, London, 1920
- Just WilliamJust WilliamJust William is the first book of children's short stories about the young school boy William Brown, written by Richmal Crompton, and published in 1922. The book was the first in the series of William Brown books which was the basis for numerous television series, films and radio adaptations...
, 1922 - More WilliamMore WilliamMore William is the second William collection in the much acclaimed Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It is a sequel to the book Just William...
, 1922 - William Again, 1923
- William The Fourth, 1924
- Still WilliamStill WilliamStill - William is the fifth book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1925.-The Stories:*The Bishop's Handkerchief There is a craze for silk handkerchiefs in the village, and William will stop at nothing to get one.*Henri Learns the Language A young Frenchman...
, 1925 - William the Conqueror, 1926
- William The OutlawWilliam the OutlawWilliam - The Outlaw is the seventh book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1927.-The Stories:*William - The Outlaw The Outlaws receive an unwanted lecture on geology....
, 1927 - William In TroubleWilliam In TroubleWilliam In Trouble is a book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. The book contains 10 short stories. It was first published in 1927.-William and the Early Romans:...
, 1927 - William The Good, 1928
- William, 1929
- William The Bad, 1930
- William's Happy Days, 1930
- William's Crowded HoursWilliam's Crowded HoursWilliam's Crowded Hours is the thirteenth book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1931.-The Stories:*William and the Spy*The Plan That Failed*William and the Young Man...
, 1931 - William The PirateWilliam the PirateWilliam the Pirate is the fourteenth book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1932. It contains eleven short-stories, one of which features the odious "Anthony Martin" who is often cited as a parody of A.A...
, 1932 - William The Rebel, 1933
- William The Gangster, 1934
- William The DetectiveWilliam The DetectiveWilliam - The Detective is a book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton published in 1935. The book contains ten short stories, though it originally contained eleven: The eleventh, entitled William and the Nasties was removed from the book later on because, though ultimately anti-Nazi, it...
, 1935 - Sweet William, 1936
- William The Showman, 1937
- William The DictatorWilliam the DictatorWilliam — The Dictator is the 20th book of children's short stories in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton.This book contains 10 stories...
, 1938 - William and Air Raid PrecautionsWilliam and Air Raid PrecautionsWilliam and Air Raid Precautions is the 21st book of children's short stories in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton.-Short stories:#William and A.R.P.#William's Good-Bye Present#William's Day Off#Portrait of William#William the Dog Trainer...
, 1939 (also published as William's Bad Resolutions, 1956) - William and the Evacuees, 1940 (also published as William and the Film Star, 1956)
- William Does His BitWilliam Does His BitWilliam Does His Bit is the 23rd book of children's short stories in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton.This book contains 10 stories...
, 1941 - William Carries OnWilliam Carries OnWilliam Carries On is the twenty-fourth book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1942.-The Stories:*Too Many Cooks*William And The Bomb*William's Midsummer Eve...
, 1942 - William and the Brains TrustWilliam and The Brains TrustWilliam And The Brains Trust is the twenty-fifth book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1945. It was republished as a paperback under the title "William the Hero."-Stories:...
, 1945 - Just William's LuckJust William's LuckThis page is about the novel. For the film see Just William's Luck .Just William's Luck was a novel in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was the only novel in the series, the rest being books of short stories...
, 1948 - William the Bold, 1950
- William and the Tramp, 1952
- William and the Moon Rocket, 1954
- William and the Space Animal, 1956
- William's Television ShowWilliam's Television ShowWilliam's Television Show was a book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1958, and contained six short stories, far fewer than most books in the series.-The Stories:*William on the Trail...
, 1958 - William the Explorer, 1960
- William's Treasure Trove, 1962
- William and the Witch, 1964
- William and the Pop Singers, 1965
- William and the Masked RangerWilliam and the Masked RangerWilliam and the Masked Ranger is a book of short stories in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1966.-The Stories:*William and the Masked Ranger*William's Summer Holiday...
, 1966 - William the Superman, 1968
- William the LawlessWilliam the LawlessWilliam the Lawless was the last story collection in the William Books series. It was published posthumously in 1970 following the death of the author, Richmal Crompton, in 1969....
, 1970 - William the Terrible, BBC Radio Plays volume 1, 2008, published by David Schutte
- William the Lionheart, BBC Radio Plays volume 2, 2008, published by David Schutte
- William the Peacemaker, BBC Radio Plays volume 3, 2009, published by David Schutte
- William the Avenger, BBC Radio Plays volume 4, 2009, published by David Schutte
- William the Smuggler, BBC Radio Plays volume 5, 2010, published by David Schutte
- William's Secret Society, BBC Radio Plays volume 6, 2010, published by David Schutte
NB: Unless otherwise mentioned, the books are written by Richmal Crompton
Richmal Crompton
Richmal Crompton Lamburn was a British writer, most famous for her Just William humorous short stories and books.-Life:...
and published by Newnes
George Newnes
Sir George Newnes, 1st Baronet was a publisher and editor in England.-Background and education:...
.