Thomas Wills
Born 1835 (Circa)
Died 1896 (Circa)
Active: 1851 - 1895
Country of birth and death: England
Sculptor, modeller, moulder
Born in St. Pancras, London. Son of William Wills (born c.1801 in Ashburton, Devon), plasterer. Thomas and his brother, George (born c.1827 in Islington) worked in their father's trade about 1851. Another brother, Frederick (born c.1830 in St Pancras) was a modeller of maps at this date. William John, with whom Thomas went into business, started out as a modeller to a silversmith.
From about 1857 Thomas and William John worked together and exhibited jointly at the Royal Academy until 1884. William John seems to have worked as a solo practitioner on occasion because Graves (1905-6) lists him as exhibiting at the Royal Academy under his own name in 1856, 1867 and 1870. The success of their practice was based on designing and modelling drinking fountains, many for the Metropolitan Free Drinking Fountain Association, and an association with the Coalbrookdale Company, iron manufacturers. The Wills brothers may have studied at the Royal Academy Schools (Noszlopy (2003) p. 273). However, in a review of Thomas and William's figure of 'Temperance' for the Royal Exchange fountain, London, the 'Art Journal' noted: '...they are not sculptors by profession, yet are true artists' (1 May 1861, quoted by Ward-Jackson (2003) p. 285). It is possible that the brothers received some informal training as well as advice from the sculptors, John Bell and William Theed, who were also involved with the Metropolitan Free Drinking Fountain Association.
Thomas and William John lived and worked in the St Pancras area throughout their careers. In the early 1890s they had two 'Lady Sculptors' living at their house in Gower Street together with their sister, Mary (born c.1839), who acted as housekeeper. The women sculptors were a niece, Annie M. Lander, (born c. 1868 in Teignmouth, Devon) and a boarder, Elizabeth Hutchinson (sp?) (born c.1827 in Jamaica, West Indies). These may have been pupils of the Wills brothers. Thomas's death was registered between January and April 1896, the exact date is not known at present and could be the very end of 1895.
There are further details of the brothers' careers in the business entry for Wills Brothers.
Locations
Address 13 Harrison Street St Pancras London England | View on map
1851 (Circa)
Living with his family at this address
Address 5 Douro Cottages St Pancras London NW England | View on map
1857 (Circa)
Address 12 Euston Road London England | View on map
1859 - 1866
Living here with his family c.1861. It was also he and his brother's place of business
Address 172 Euston Road London England | View on map
1871
Living here with his brother and father (no occupation for the latter)
Address 168 Euston Road London England | View on map
1881 (Circa) - 1895 (Circa)
Address 128 Gower Street London England | View on map
1891 (Circa)
Exhibitions, Meetings, Awards and other Events
Exhibited at The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts (Summer Exhibition), 1768-
1857 - 1884
Exhibited 6 times, usually one work. Always showed with his brother as 'Wills brothers' in 1857, 1859 and 1860 then as 'W. and T. Wills' in 1863, 1866 and 1884.
Exhibited at Liverpool autumn exhibition of modern pictures: the first (Free Public Library and Museum, Liverpool), 1871
1871
Part of Frame in Lime Tree (cat. no. 906, Italian wood (?), £40); Figure in Relief (cat. no. 907, boxwood, £10).
Exhibited at Autumn exhibition of modern pictures in oil and water-colours: the twenty-fifth (Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool), 1895
1895
Satan Bond (cat. no. 1285, wood carving, £25).
Personal and Professional Connections
Sister/sibling of William John Wills
Exhibited at the Royal Academy and listed in London Post Office Directory as 'Wills brothers'
Sister/sibling of George Wills
Descriptions of Practice
Listed under Sculptors Post Office London Directory, 1890 Post Office/Kelly London Directories
Jointly with his brother, William
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881
'Sculptor'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851
'Plasterer' this was his father and older brother George's trade. William John, with whom he went into business, was a 'Modeller to a Silversmith' and Frederick was a 'Modeller of Maps'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861
'Sculptor'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871
'Moulder' and William John is as 'Sculptor'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891
'Sculptor' his brother listed in the same occupation. Also at this address, a niece Annie M Lander (a niece born c. 1868 in Teignmouth, Devon) and Elizabeth Hutchinson (?) (a lodger born c.1827 in Jamaica, West Indies) both 'Lady Sculptor'
Sources
Autumn exhibition of modern pictures in oil and water-colours: the twenty-fifth, 1895 Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
1895
pp. 47-50.
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851
2005
HO107 piece 1495 folio 718 page 10
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861
2005
RG09 piece 118 folio 56 page 13
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871
2004
RG10 piece 220 folio 15 page 23
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881
2004
Class: RG11; Piece: 197; Folio: 12; Page: 17; GSU roll: 1341044
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891
2004
RG12 piece 119 folio 122 page 33
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1837-1915
2006
Name: Thomas Wills
Estimated birth year: abt 1838
Year of Registration: 1896
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
Age at Death: 58
District: Pancras (1837-1901)
County: London, Middlesex
Volume: 1b
Page: 77
Liverpool autumn exhibition of modern pictures, 1871 Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
1871
p. 32.
Post Office London Directory, 1860 Post Office/Kelly London Directories
1860
p.1717
Post Office London Directory, 1890 Post Office/Kelly London Directories
1890
p. 1997
Post Office London Directory, 1895 Post Office/Kelly London Directories
1895
p. 2117
Public Sculpture of Greater Manchester Public Sculpture of Britain
2004
p. 465 and multiple references
Public Sculpture of the City of London Public Sculpture of Britain Volume Five
2003
pp. 145-6, 283-6 and 485-6 (on pp. 283-6 there is a full description of the Metropolitan Free Drinking Fountain Association)
Public Sculpture of Warwick, Coventry and Solihull Public Sculpture of Britain
2003
pp. 156 and 273
The Royal Academy of Arts: a complete dictionary of contributors and their work from its foundation in 1769 to 1904. Vol. 8: Toft to Zwecker
1906
p. 302 entries under Wills Brothers and W and T Wills none under T or Thomas Wills
Citing this record
'Thomas Wills', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=ann_1262993537, accessed 26 Sep 2023]
