Thomas, William Luson, 1830-1900

found: Wikipedia, March 8, 2019(Illustrated London News; W. L. Thomas, a former wood engraver for The Illustrated London News, founded a weekly illustrated paper, The Graphic, in 1869, to which he brought his expertise in illustrated publishing; Thomas, William Luson (1830-1900), in reference citing Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004)

found: Spartacus Educational (website), viewed March 8, 2019(William Luson Thomas; born in London; after leaving school in Fulham he joined his brother George Housman Thomas (1824-1836) in Paris, where he had set up an engraving business; in 1846 he travelled to the United States with his brother to work on illustrated newspapers; he also spent time in Rome, where he studied art at the Académie de France; in 1851 he moved back to England, worked under [engraver] William James Linton; founded weekly newspaper, The Graphic, in order to rival the Illustrated London News, and with the idea that it be open to all artists, whatever their method, instead of only wood-engraving; by 1882 the company owned three buildings and twenty printing machines and employed over 1,000 people; he believed in social reform, and hoped that visual images would have a political impact on the reading public; Mr. W. L. Thomas; died at Weir Cottage, Chertsey)