In July 1867 John Thomas visited Wales for the first time in his new profession as a photographer, in order to photograph the General Assembly of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists at Llanidloes and visited his home.
In 1868 Thomas visited the National Eisteddfod for the first time in Ruthin, Denbighshire and took photographs of stars of the Eisteddfod and the crowning of the bard. Thomas visited this national event for thirty years, therefore Thomas produced a unique record of the national institutions of Wales from 1868 – 1900.
In 1869 Thomas travelled to Blaenau Ffestiniog at the invitation of his friend Jonathan Edwards, a shopkeeper who had started to sell his prints, they visited the slate quarries in the area and took portraits of the quarrymen in their lunch hour, while Thomas took the photographs Edwards sold the prints.
In 1870 John Thomas travelled further into Wales to Machynlleth, through the aid of the Cambrian Railway, which had opened five years earlier. He then travelled to Corris, utilising the narrow-gauge Corris Railway which transported the slate from the quarries.
In 1870 John Thomas travelled further into Wales to Machynlleth, through the aid of the Cambrian Railway, which had opened five years earlier. He then travelled to Corris, utilising the narrow-gauge Corris Railway which transported the slate from the quarries.
He
also visited Llangollen, which was an ideal starting point for Thomas as
Llangollen was the heart of north Wales, from here he followed the railway along
the north Wales coast, the railways opened in the 1860s. He also travelled by
the road north-west of Llangollen to Dolwyddelan, Ffestiniog and Llanrwst. The
railways aided Thomas to travel further, he was able to travel beyond the
railway links to the smaller towns and villages such as Anglesey and the Llŷn
Peninsula. In this same year his third youngest son was born Albert Ivor who
became a doctor.
The most remote of places that John visited were Bardsey Island, off the coast of north-west Wales, which he visited at the end of October 1886. The island could only be reached by a six-mile boat journey from Aberdaron, across the difficult Bardsey Sound. John Thomas realised that the island had no mill nor a threshing machine “no shop nor tavern, smith nor carpenter, cobbler nor tailor, parson nor bellringer, tax nor tithe, lawyer nor bailey”. But it did have ten small farms, neat farm buildings, a chapel with a Calvinistic Minister and a population of 80 to 100 people.
The most remote of places that John visited were Bardsey Island, off the coast of north-west Wales, which he visited at the end of October 1886. The island could only be reached by a six-mile boat journey from Aberdaron, across the difficult Bardsey Sound. John Thomas realised that the island had no mill nor a threshing machine “no shop nor tavern, smith nor carpenter, cobbler nor tailor, parson nor bellringer, tax nor tithe, lawyer nor bailey”. But it did have ten small farms, neat farm buildings, a chapel with a Calvinistic Minister and a population of 80 to 100 people.
In 1891, Thomas travelled to south Wales, to his home county of Ceredigion and further to Carmarthen, visiting Llanbydder, Llansawel and Llandovery.
On 18th August 1893 Thomas photographed the unveiling of a monument of Henry Richard in Tregaron and visited Pembrokeshire. After this period he remained mostly in north and mid Wales on his journeys which may have been related to his wife’s death in 1895 at 67 years of age.
On 18th August 1893 Thomas photographed the unveiling of a monument of Henry Richard in Tregaron and visited Pembrokeshire. After this period he remained mostly in north and mid Wales on his journeys which may have been related to his wife’s death in 1895 at 67 years of age.
In 1897 and 1898 he revisited the South and spent some time in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. During 1899 he visited St. David’s which is likely to have been his last photographic journey as there is no record of any further travelling.