(1842 - 1927)
Marine painter Thomas Somerscales was born in Hull; the son of a shipmaster. He attended Normal College, Cheltenham, before joining the Royal Navy in about 1862 to serve as a schoolmaster for seven years. Travelling with the Navy aboard the ‘Zealous’, he became ill at Tahiti and was sent ashore at Valparaiso, Chile. Here, he briefly worked as a drawing master for a local school before being sacked. However, he established a new school with two colleagues. He also produced paintings and from 1874 gave lessens in art to pupils in Valparaiso and Santiago. In 1892 he returned to the UK with his wife and four sons. He exhibited one painting at the Royal Academy in 1893. Although he made return visits to Chile, Somerscales died in Hull, aged 84.
