Son of Nicolas François Joseph Thomain, Victor Thomain took up an arenticeship in Mirecourt with C.N. Bazin. He remained in his hometown until the mid 1890s, then ent a few years in Paris, where he was probably mainly occupied with restoration work. In around 1900 he left for London, where he worked for various firms, producing English-styled bows branded \'T. Victor\'.
The most illustrious of the Tu family, James was trained by his father, William, and worked for the Hill shop in London during the early part of his career. After falling out with the Hills, he left to establish his own shop. He was a prolific maker and is reported to have made as many as 5,000 bows, some with the help of his son, Alfred. His succe reached its peak in the 1880s, when leading musicia such as Piatti and Wilhelmj used his bows and he won a gold medal at London\'s 1885 Inventio Exhibition. Tu initially used a \'J. Tu\' brand stam after around 1878 his bows are marked \'Jas Tu\'. His bows made for the Hill shop are branded \'W. E. Hill\'.