Tom Hood

A carte-de-visite portrait of English humorist and dramatist Tom Hood (1835-1874), son of the poet and author Thomas Hood. A prolific author, he was appointed, in 1865, editor of the magazine Fun. He also founded Tom Hood's Comic Annual in 1867.

Tom Hood died on 20 November 1874 at Gloucester Cottage, Peckham Rye, Surrey. He left an estate valued at £300.

‘Mr Tom Hood, the well-known editor of Fun, and the only son of one of the greatest of English humourists, died yesterday at his residence in London. He had been in poor health for more than six months past, but it was not until about three weeks ago that an attack of dropsy, supervening on a severe liver complaint, compelled him to take to bed and call in the skilled advice of Sir William Jenner. For at least ten days past his recovery was regarded as hopeless, and he passed away yesterday forenoon, conscious to nearly the last moment. Mr Hood had almost completed his 39th year, having been born in Wanstead, in Essex, in 1835. He was educated at University College School and at Oxford, and took to his father’s profession of literature very early in life. His writings are numerous, and cover a great variety of subjects; but he was perhaps best known to the public as the editor of Fun, which periodical under his care, has become a commercial property of considerable value. […] He was the best writer of stories for children in this country, and he had the rare gift of being able to reach the hearts and the understandings of juveniles without descending to what might be called puerility or mere inanity. Personally he was a favourite with all who knew him. Both in speech and in deed his generous nature was constantly showing itself, and he had, perhaps, fewer enemies than any semi-public man in London. He is survived by his second wife, a Swiss lady, to whom he was married only some four months ago. By his first marriage he had one son, by whom, and by his only sister, Mrs Broderip, who resides at Dieppe, the family of Hood is now represented’ (Edinburgh Evening News, 21 November 1874).

Photographed by the London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company.