Thomas Shotter Boys

Thomas Shotter Boys, born in 1803, left his native England at an early age and travelled to Paris, where he met and was befriended by the great Richard Bonington. In 1827 he exhibited his works, mainly water-colours, which showed the marked influence that Bonington had on his career. With Adolphe Rouargue and Turgis he published Architecture dessinee d'apres Nature. Returning to London in 1837 he exhibited at the Royal Academy as well as at the New Water-colour Society. Boys was the first artist to exploit the process of chromolithography and, in 1839, he published his views of Picturesque Architecture in Paris, Ghent, Antwerp and Rouen. In 1842 he published, to huge acclaim, a series entitled Original Views of London, and these high-quality, historic works are a fascinating and decorative tour of London's best known landmarks. Boys' favourite medium was water-colour, but his oils show a quick spontaneity of palette which recall many of Bonington's crisp and vivid compositions, whether views of Paris, Venice or London. Particularly fascinating to the London-lover are his enduringly-popular scenes of the city, which recreate the real essence of Nineteenth Century London.