William Thornton Autographs
William Thornton (May 20, 1759 – March 28, 1828) was an American physician, inventor, painter and architect who designed the United States Capitol. He also served as the first Architect of the Capitol and first Superintendent of the United States Patent Office.
From an early age, William Thornton displayed interest and discernible talent in "the arts of design," to employ an 18th-century term that is particularly useful in assessing his career. Thornton was born on Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands, West Indies, in a Quaker community. where he was heir to sugar plantations. He was sent to England at age five to be educated. Thornton was brought up strictly by his father's relations, Quakers and merchants, in and near the ancient castle town of Lancaster, in northern Lancashire, England. There was never any question of his pursuing the fine arts professionally—he was to be trained for a useful life, according to the Quaker ways. Thus, despite the fact that he had a sizeable income, young Thornton was apprenticed for a term of four years (1777–1781), to a practical physician and apothecary in Ulverston, Lancashire (now Cumbria).
The earliest of Thornton's known writings, a journal he began during his apprenticeship, records almost as many entries for drawing and sketching as notes on medical treatments and nostrums. His subjects were most often flora and fauna, but he also did portraits, landscapes, historical scenes, and studies of machinery, such as the Franklin stove, and managed to construct a camera obscura. This pattern continued when he enrolled as a medical student in the University of Edinburgh in 1781. He interned at St Bartholomew's Hospital. The architecture of Edinburgh, especially that of the New Town that was being built, surely exerted considerable influence. More direct evidence of his interest in architecture is found in the landscapes and sketches of castles he drew while travelling about Scotland, notably in the Highlands, during these years.
Read more about William Thornton on Wikipedia
Affiliate disclosure: When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Traded items with a signature of William Thornton
The most expensive item with a signature of William Thornton (US Capitol architect William Thornton signed document to DC marshal re goods) was sold in April 2019 for $425.00 while the cheapest item (Astronaut David Walker & William Thornton signed autographed launch photo) found a new owner for $0.99 in November 2011. The month with the most items sold (4) was July 2010 with an average selling price of $12.40 for an autographed item of William Thornton. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in March 2025 with $149.99 and the month that saw the lowest prices with $0.99 was September 2008. In average, an autographed item from William Thornton is worth $12.41.
Most recently, these items with a signature of William Thornton were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | Bob Crippen, William Thornton, Karol Bobko NASA Signed Cachet JSA | $76.82 |  |
| NASA Astronaut William Thornton Signed Autographed 8x10 | $9.99 | |
| Signed William Thornton & Dale Gardner 8x10 Photo NASA Astronaut Picture LS | $12.54 | |
| Signed-Autographed 3x5 Index Card of NASA Astronaut William Thornton, Challenger | $24.95 | |
| WILLIAM THORNTON ASTRONAUT AUTOGRAPH ON INDEX CARD | $49.95 | |
| William Thornton signed 3x5 card Space Exploration NASA Shuttle Astronaut | $17.45 | |
| William Thornton Signed 8x10 Photo BS Shuttle Apollo Astronaut Autograph NASA | $60.00 | |
| William Thornton Signed 8x10 Photo WSS Astronaut Autograph Apollo Shuttle NASA | $60.00 | |
| WILLIAM THORNTON signed autographed 8x10 NASA ASTRONAUT litho photo PSA | $55.00 | |
| William Thornton Signed Cover / Autographed NASA Astronaut | $16.99 | |
| WILLIAM THORNTON SIGNED PHOTO NASA Astronaut JSA COA Autograph STS-8 & STS-51-B | $99.99 | |
| WILLIAM THORNTON STS-8 51B SHUTTLE NASA ASTRONAUT SIGNED VINTAGE LITHO PHOTO JSA | $149.99 | |
| WILLIAM THORNTON STS-8 51B SHUTTLE NASA ASTRONAUT SIGNED VINTAGE LITHO PHOTO JSA | $149.99 | |
| WILLIAM THORNTON STS-8 51B SHUTTLE NASA ASTRONAUT SIGNED VINTAGE LITHO PHOTO JSA | $149.99 | |
| William Thornton, NASA Astronaut, Signed & Inscribed 8 x 10 Color Photo, COA | $34.99 | |
