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Watercolour Painting by Thomas Millons The Canongate |
Looking to the east, down the Canongate
Canongate Tollbooth with turrets and clock is on the left
Early 1900s?
© Reproduced with acknowledgement to Marjorie Hutchinson (née Chennells), Alberta, Canada
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Canongate, Edinburgh |
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Thank you to John Ruelle and Marjorie Chennells Hutchinson for allowing me to reproduce this painting. |
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John wrote Watercolour Painting "This is from a water colour painting that my wife’s mother, Marjorie Hutchinson (née Chennells), won in a tennis competition in Vancouver, Canada in 1937. It now hangs in our house. Based on the attire, my wife thinks the painting might date to Edwardian times (1901 to 1911?). The artist is Thomas Millons. A 'Made in England' sticker on the back has a trade mark NORMILL and serial number 3025. Question Watercolour Painting "We'd like to discover more about this painting and the artist, and have done an extensive Google search, but we could find nothing. Do you recognise the artist, or are you able to add any comments on the vintage of the painting?" John Ruelle, Calgary, Alberta, Canada: October 21+26, 2012 |
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Reply to John? If you think you might be able to tell John anything more about his painting or about the artist, please email me, then I'll pass on your message to him. Thank you. Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: October 26, 2012 |
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Reply 1 Peter Stubbs Edinburgh |
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The Artist I've found a reference to the artist on the Artfact web site (now the Invaluable web site). He is described there as: Thomas Millons (1859-) * Alias: Thomas "Captain" Millons Professions: Architecture Painter, ; Naval Painter; Painter
The Artfact site can also show the prices that paintings attained at auction, but this info is only available to people who subscribe to their site. I am not a subscriber. * I've not discovered Thomas Millons' date of death, but it seems fairly safe to assume that copyright on his paintings will have expired. i.e. assuming that he died aged about 83 or younger. Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: October 26, 2012 |
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Reply 2 Sally Douglas Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
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Thank you to Sally Douglas who read the request for information about the artist, Thomas Millons, and replied: |
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RSA Exhibition 1885 "Thomas Millons exhibited one of his paintings in at the Royal Scottish Academy Exhibition, 1885. See the snippet below.
Sally Douglas, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: December 23, 2012 |
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Reply 3 Sally Douglas Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
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Thank you to Sally Douglas for sending me several more emails, telling me what she had discovered about the artist, Thomas Millons. This is what I discovered from the emails. |
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Voyages Thomas Millons was born in Edinburgh in 1859. Several of his voyages are listed in Lloyd's Register: - Vol. 52: 1888-90, 1892-95 - Vol. 67: 1896-99, 1901 - Vol. 82:, 1904-06, 1910
Source: Institute
of Historical Research Index to the Captains' Registers of Business Thomas Millons' business was: - Hawley Wm Millons & Co, Tile agents , tile layers and mosaic workers, 137 George |Street, Edinburgh. (This was Thomas Millons' address in 1885.) Source: National LIbrary of Scotland - Scottish Post Office Directories - Slater's Royal National Commercial Directory of Scotland - Edinburghshire,. p.106 Paintings Exhibited
Captain Thomas Millons exhibited his paintings of marines and
architectural subjects in London and Australia. Source: Australian Google Books web site: Victorian Painters, p.356 Family HIstory The Ancestry web site has two family trees for the Millons family. Thomas Millons' family included: - Father: David Millons - Mother: Isabella - Brothers: William T Millons and David N Millons (All three sons were born in Edinburgh) Source: Australian Ancestry web site Gravestones Details of Milson family gravestones can be found on the Gravestone Photos web site. Acknowledgement: Sally Douglas: December 26, 2012 (7 emails) |
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Message for Sally Douglas Thank you, Sally, for providing all the details above about the Edinburgh artist, Thomas Millons. Unfortunately, I don't have the resources to add any more information about him or his family to the EdinPhoto web site. Howeve, I have passed on your email address to John Ruelle, Calgary, Alberta, Canada who asked the original question about Thomas Mullins, a couple of weeks ago, so I'll leave you both to continue to discuss this topic, if there are any points that you would both like to discuss. Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: December 26, 2012 |
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Reply 4 Andrew Davies |
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Thank you to Andy Davies who wrote: |
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Canongate Painting "I now seem to be the owner of the painting! I was about to take it out and use the frame when I noticed a handwritten note stuck on the back which says:
The picture in my possession also has a sticker on the back saying:
I was about to throw the picture away but when I saw that it seemed to be an original. I looked up the painter and came across your EdinPhoto web site. Are you able to shed any light on this mystery?" Andrew Davies: 18 February 2016 |
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Message for Sally Douglas Unfortunately, I don't have any further info to pass on to Andy Davies about this artist or his painting.. All that I know is already recorded on this page. Does the evidence provided by Andy Davies (above) really suggest that Andy's painting is an original - or might it be a copy? However, I've now sent an email to Marjorie Hutchinson, who allowed me to reproduce the painting at the top of this page, to let her know about Andy Davies' comments above. Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: 21 September 2016 |
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Reply 5 John and Joe Ruelle Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
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Thank you to Andy Davies who wrote: |
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Canongate Painting "We have a copy of this painting and are thinking of taking it to an art gallery here in Calgary for an opinion on it being a print or not." It was interesting to read that Andrew Davies mentioned that there is a sticker on the back of his painting identical to ours:
That makes us think that Normill may have released a series of prints." John & Jo Rouelle, Calgary, Alberta, Canada: 23 September 2016 |
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