1839-1915
Elected a member of the RCA in 1883. Born in Pontypool in 1839, Thomas was a passionate amateur practitioner who pursued a career as an artist and illustrator alongside wide-ranging interests in botany, geology, history, archaeology and what we would today call ethnography. As a keen promoter of Welsh culture and cultural identity, Thomas was one of the driving forces behind the creation of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales. He developed the modern Welsh flag, pushed for Wales’ inclusion in the Union Jack and in 1895 became the first Herald Bard of the Gorsedd. On his death, he left a large collection of artworks, specimens and artefacts to Amgueddfa Cymru. (Comments attributed to National Museum of Wales)
