Historical voicesOn the Valice list
1839–1915
Welsh artist and antiquary of Cardiff, and a founder of the National Museum of Wales.
On the Valice list. One title published by Valice Press carries T. H. Thomas’s work; it is below.
Biography
Welsh artist and antiquary (1839–1915), known in Wales by the bardic name Arlunydd Penygarn. He settled in Cardiff in 1866, worked for the Daily Graphic, helped found the Royal Cambrian Academy, and was a leading force behind the founding of the National Museum of Wales, to which his thousand-odd prints, drawings and watercolours went after his death. His twenty-one drawings for British Goblins are the only illustrations the book has, and he is the only other person named on its title page.
Works
Timeline
1861
Returned to London from Paris and Rome to work as a painter and illustrator.
1866
Settled in Cardiff, where his father had retired.
1880
Inherited his father's house on The Walk, which became a place of intellectual discussion in the town.
1881
The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art, of which he became a Fellow, was established.
1915
Died in Cardiff; his more than a thousand prints, drawings and watercolours went to the National Museum of Wales under his will.
Why they are here
Thomas trained as a painter, worked as an illustrator for the Daily Graphic, and was equally interested in botany, geology, history and archaeology, which were often the subjects of his art. His drawings are the only illustrations in Wirt Sikes's British Goblins.
He was a leading force behind the founding of the National Museum of Wales and in the use of the red dragon as the symbol of Wales. A dinosaur footprint he discovered was named Brontozoum thomasii in his honour.
On the Valice list
Nearby on the shelf
These are Valice Press titles from the same part of the library. They are not by T. H. Thomas, and they are not a recommendation on T. H. Thomas’s behalf — only the same shelf.
A World Bestiary: 112 Legendary Creatures from 40 Traditions — Beasts, Spirits, and Guardians of World Folklore
Emre Doğan
Thirty Creation Myths from Every Corner of the Earth, Told Whole
Emre Doğan
Eighteen Trickster Tales from Eleven Traditions, and What Each One Cost
Emre Doğan
Volume One: The Vedic Gods — 5 Chapters Complete in the 1913 Text, Annotated, with a Register Grading the Author's Comparisons and a Who's-Who of 32 Figures with Verified Chapter References
Emre Doğan
Sources
Everything on this page about T. H. Thomas is written from these sources, not from memory. Their dates and key claims were checked against the sources on 8 October 2026.The life dates are compared across Wikidata and the Library of Congress’s authority records.
