Thomas Lound was born on 13 July 1801. His parents were Mary and Thomas Lound, who ran the family brewery Charles Tompson & Sons in Norwich. The business was successful and Lound grew up in an affluent environment. He was involved in the family business throughout his working life as well as being considered an accomplished and prolific artist. At the age of 18, he became a member of the Norwich Society of Artists and exhibited his watercolours annually with them, until the Society’s closure in 1833. He was a prominent member of the Norwich Amateur Club with his good friends Robert Leman and David Hodgson, and a member of the Norwich School of Painters.
He was taught by John Sell Cotman and strongly influenced by artists such as David Cox and Joseph Stannard, often making copies of their works as practice. He mainly worked in watercolour but also produced oils, etchings and works in charcoal.
Thomas Lound lived in Norwich his whole life, but was known to have travelled on sketching tours with his peers to Wales and Yorkshire. Between 1845-1855 he exhibited several works in London at the Royal Academy of Arts and the British Institution.
Thomas Lound was also a passionate early photographer and committee member of the Norwich Photographic Society. Alongside painting, he was an avid collector of artwork by his contemporaries as well as those he particularly admired. On one occasion he purchased 75 works by John Thirtle, one of his favourite artists. Alongside his main residence in King Street, Norwich, Thomas Lound owned a yacht, The Kathleen, where he displayed part of his collection and entertained friends.
In 1821, Lound had married Harriot Wetherill, and together they had three children; Henry, Ellen and Harriot.
His wife died unexpectedly in 1859, aged only 58, and the following year, his son Henry died. Shortly after, Thomas Lound died on 18 January 1861, said to be from apoplexy, aged 59. The sale of his estate took place on 6 March 1861 in the Bazaar Room, Norwich.
His work is represented in the collections of the V&A; National Trust, Norfolk Museums Collections; and Yale Centre for British Art (CT).
