An 1850s album in West Glamorgan Archives (D/D Vi 3/51) belonged to Swansea landowner Illtid Thomas and and was probably put together by himself and his first wife Isabella Mary. As well as photographs by well-known Swansea photographers John Dillwyn Llewelyn and his sister Mary Dillwyn, the album contains a large number of images initialled "IT" for Illtyd Thomas and a mysterious "JJMT" or "IIMT". There is one page with both sets of initials. I have two questions:
- Has anyone come across other photographs by Illtyd Thomas?
- Who is the mysterious "JJMT"? The numerous photos by “JJMT” include several of the Thomas family and their houses, suggesting JJMT belonged to the Thomas family. One later annotation by Thomas's granddaughter states "These initials were of John Mansel Talbot”, however several of the later annotations are incorrect so I do not put too much weight on this one. The mysterious “JJMT” initials do not correspond to anyone in the Thomas or Talbot families as far as I can determine: indeed four initials are very rare. The manuscript “J” is identical to the “I” leading me to propose that the initials represent Illtid and his first wife: IIMT = “Illtid Isabella Mary Thomas”.
My photographs are shared by permission of West Glamorgan Archives for research.
Mr. and Mrs. Illtyd Thomas by John Dillwyn Llewelyn
Coalmaster C. H. Smith, his wife and daughter. Photographs initialled "IT", page initialled "JJMT" or "IIMT"
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In support of my theory that IIMT = “Illtid Isabella Mary Thomas”, I have by chance come across a photograph of Illtid Thomas' father with the inscription "Mr. T. E. Thomas 1854 by Mr. and Mrs. Itlid (sic) Thomas". (It is mis-catalogued on the V&A site under "Mary Dillwyn, flowers"). The page showing the same photograph in the West Glamorgan Archives album (D/D Vi 3/51) is inscribed "IIMT".