What Alan Thornton does

Alan Thornton Ltd. is a solo-operated fine art print business founded by photographer Alan Thornton and incorporated in England & Wales (Company No. 13909464). The company creates and sells limited edition silkscreen prints based on Thornton's original photography, with the catalogue organised around two subject themes: iconic cameras and classic or exotic automobiles. Prints are produced using metallic silver inks applied via traditional silkscreen printing techniques, which is the underlying production technology and a key point of differentiation versus digital reproduction.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model, selling prints online to individual collectors and enthusiasts globally, with prices ranging from £95 to £350 per print. There is no subscription, licensing, or recurring revenue component disclosed; the model is unit-based, one-time print sales. Marketing is supported by MailChimp email campaigns, and the operation is run from Spitalfields in East London. There is no disclosed headcount beyond the founder, no external funding, no partnerships, and no awards or third-party endorsements in the input data.

The addressable customer base consists of photography enthusiasts, classic automobile enthusiasts, and art collectors purchasing limited edition prints, predominantly at the entry-to-mid price band. The business is asset-light (no disclosed production workforce, no retail footprint beyond the online store) and distribution is shipped directly to buyers, including international customers. As a single-person operation with a long-established artistic practice (the founder has been active for over 30 years), the company's strategic posture is that of a stable lifestyle micro-business rather than a venture-scale enterprise.

Name

Alan Thornton

Legal name

Alan Thornton Ltd.

Website

https://alan-thornton.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Alan Thornton Ltd. is a London-based solo artist business that creates and sells limited edition silkscreen prints based on founder Alan Thornton's photography of iconic cameras and classic automobiles, sold direct-to-consumer online at £95–£350 per print to photography and automotive collectors worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Limited Edition Art Prints

NAICS

Commercial Screen Printing (323113), Commercial Photography (541922)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Printing & Decoration Services (Screen Print, Embroidery, Laser) (BPAFAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Large-Format & Specialty Printing (Signage, Posters, Displays) (MPAJALAD)

Keywords

• Limited edition prints
• Silkscreen art prints
• Photography-based artwork
• Screen printing art
• Fine art prints

Headquarters

HQ city

City Of London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Limited Edition Print Sales: One-time direct sales of limited edition screen printed artworks. Customers purchase individual prints at fixed prices through the e-commerce website. No subscription or recurring revenue model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Alan Thornton creates and sells original limited edition silkscreen (screen) prints based on his photography, organized into a photography equipment series featuring iconic cameras and an automotive design series featuring iconic cars. Prints are offered in standard paper sizes (A2, A1, B1) at fixed prices ranging from £95 to £350, and are sold one-time through the alan-thornton.com e-commerce store with global shipping.

Product overview

Alan Thornton is an artist offering a portfolio of original limited edition silkscreen prints created from his photography. The collection is organized into two thematic series: a photography equipment series featuring iconic cameras (Kodachrome, CineStill, SX-70, SX-70 2up, Rolleiflex, Rolleiflex Cross, Bolex, Bolex 3/4, Hasselblad, Hasselblad 3/4, Kodak Instamatic) and an automotive design series featuring iconic cars (BMW Bobber, Rogers v Foster, Lotus 72 Gold). The prints utilize metallic silver inks and are available in various standard paper sizes (A2, A1, B1) with prices ranging from £95 to £350. The offering is a single collection of individual art prints available for direct purchase through the website's e-commerce platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BMW Bobber Limited edition silkscreen print featuring a BMW motorcycle, 700 x 500mm, sold as part of the automotive design series for individual collectors.
• Kodak Instamatic Limited edition silkscreen print of a Kodak Instamatic camera, 594 x 420mm (A2 format), part of the photography equipment series.
• Rogers v Foster Limited edition silkscreen print, 810 x 594mm (A1 format), from the automotive design series.
• Kodachrome Limited edition silkscreen print, 420 x 594mm (A2 format), part of the photography equipment series.
• CineStill Limited edition silkscreen print featuring a CineStill film camera, part of the photography equipment collection.
• SX-70 2up Limited edition silkscreen print featuring two Polaroid SX-70 cameras, 594 x 810mm (A1 format).
• SX-70 Limited edition silkscreen print of a Polaroid SX-70 camera, part of the photography equipment series.
• Rolleiflex Cross Limited edition silkscreen print featuring a Rolleiflex camera, 700 x 1000mm (B1 format).
• Bolex 3/4 Limited edition silkscreen print of a Bolex 16mm camera, 594 x 841mm (A1 format).
• Bolex Limited edition silkscreen print featuring a Bolex camera, part of the photography equipment collection.
• Hasselblad 3/4 Limited edition silkscreen print of a Hasselblad camera in 3/4 view.
• Hasselblad Limited edition silkscreen print featuring a Hasselblad medium format camera.
• Rolleiflex Limited edition silkscreen print of a Rolleiflex twin-lens reflex camera.
• Lotus 72 Gold Limited edition silkscreen print featuring a Lotus 72 Formula 1 car with a metallic gold background, from the automotive design series.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Banksy: Banksy is the most famous contemporary screen-print artist, selling limited edition silkscreen works through official channels (Pest Control). Directly comparable to Alan Thornton as a single-artist brand built around signed, numbered screen prints sold directly to collectors.
• Damien Hirst: Damien Hirst sells limited edition prints and multiples through Other Criteria, a direct-to-collector platform he controls. Comparable as an established fine-art brand monetizing limited editions of original visual imagery directly via owned e-commerce.
• Harland Miller: Harland Miller is a British artist known for Penguin-book-cover-inspired prints sold as limited editions directly to collectors. Comparable as a contemporary British artist brand monetizing signed, numbered editions through owned channels.
• Shepard Fairey (OBEY Giant): Shepard Fairey is a screen-print artist who sells limited edition signed prints directly through his own e-commerce site. Comparable core production technique (silkscreen) and direct-to-consumer limited-edition print model.
• David Shrigley: David Shrigley is a British artist who sells limited edition prints, multiples, and originals directly to consumers via his own website. Comparable as a single-artist limited-edition print business with e-commerce direct sales.
• Tracey Emin: Tracey Emin sells limited edition prints and multiples directly through her own platform. Comparable as an established British artist monetizing editioned works via owned e-commerce at premium prices.
• KAWS: KAWS sells limited edition screen prints and multiples directly to collectors globally. Comparable as a contemporary artist monetizing signature limited-edition prints through owned channels at premium price points.
• Peter Blake: Sir Peter Blake is a British artist best known for pop-art screen prints and editions, including his famous Seriograph and album-cover works. Comparable as an established British artist brand built around limited edition screen-printed editions.

Broad incumbents

• Rise Art: Rise Art is a UK-based online gallery selling limited edition prints and originals from contemporary artists. Comparable as a curated direct-to-consumer limited-edition art sales channel, though it represents many artists rather than operating as a single-artist brand.
• Saatchi Art: Saatchi Art is a large online art marketplace selling original works and limited edition prints from thousands of artists worldwide. Comparable as a direct-to-consumer channel for limited edition prints, though operating as a broad multi-artist platform rather than a single-artist brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alan Thornton