‘The Burns of Sculpture’: James Thom in America

This article investigates the life and work of Scottish stonemason James Thom (1802–1850), the celebrated sculptor of life-size figures of Tam o’ Shanter and Souter Johnny, with a particular focus on the fifteen years he lived in the United States. Thom’s desire to work full time as an artist after he emigrated led to a series of opportunities and challenges that have not previously been examined. I will provide a brief history of Thom’s life in the United Kingdom, contemporary responses to his work on both sides of the Atlantic, and the history of all of his known sculpture in North America including the whereabouts of all that is extant. Much of what is known about Thom and the public perception of his achievements involves circumstances and experiences in his life that were uncannily parallel to those in the life of Robert Burns; both men, born into Ayrshire farming families, showed exceptional artistic talent at a young age, and were lauded as national figures of Scottish pride. The comparisons to Burns first made when Thom found himself in the public spotlight in 1828 became firmly established and continued to grow and flourish until his death.