Blue Plaque for a Geographer

Via the RGS-IBG Facebook page - be sure to follow this page for more updates.

A blue plaque has been unveiled to commemorate photographer, 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.

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.”

Worth a visit to 15 Effra Road in Brixton perhaps.

Image credit: English Heritage, Michael Pritchard.