John Thomson (photographer) has works in the collection Museum of Modern Art
Legacy
Thomson was an accomplished photographer in many areas, including landscapes, portraiture, street photography, and architectural photography, and his legacy is one of outstanding quality and breadth of coverage. His photography from the Far East enlightened the Victorian audience of Britain about the land, people, and cultures of China and South-East Asia. His pioneering work documenting the social conditions of the street people of London established him as one of the pioneers of photojournalism, and his publishing activities mark him out as an innovator in combining photography with the printed word.
In recognition of his work, one of the peaks of Mount Kenya was named "Point Thomson" on his death in 1921. That same year, Henry Wellcome acquired a collection of glass negatives, totalling over 600, that were owned by Thomson. Today they are in the collection of the Wellcome Library. Some of Thomson's work may be seen at the Royal Geographical Society's headquarters in London. Other museums with Thomson's work in their collections include the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the National Science and Media Museum, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.Through the Lens of John Thomson: China and Siam, a selection of Thomson's photographs from the Wellcome Library, London, is currently touring internationally.
holds works in the collection