Portrait study of William Thomas Tonner

[lower left in red ink]: stamped signature / stamped monogram initials; [bottom left in graphite]: William T. TonnerWilliam Thomas Tonner (1878-1948) was owner and operator of a successful hosiery mill in Lansdale, PA. In 1908 he married Florence Foerderer and around 1915 the couple moved into the mansion at Glen-Foerd, an 18th-century estate in Torresdale purchased by his in-laws in 1895.Located along the Delaware River in the far northeast section of Philadelphia, Torresdale offered a scenic community for country estates. Like other successful businessmen of the day, Tonner established a “gentlemen’s farm,” located across from the estate in 1919. It became known for its Ayrshire cattle, winning numerous awards for the animals’ milk output. Tonner was a member of the Union League, the Philadelphia Club, the Philadelphia Country Club, the Corinthian Yacht Club and the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, in Philadelphia. His wife was a noted patron of the arts. They had two daughters and a son. Glen Foerd Farms no longer exists. The eighteen-acre estate, however, still does and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the only remaining riverfront estate in Philadelphia open to the public.