Valerie Thornton (1931–1991) was a British etcher and printmaker. Thornton was born in London, but evacuated to Canada during World War II. She returned to London in 1944 and went on to study at the Byam Shaw School of Art in 1949. From 1950 to 1953 Thornton studied under P.F. Millard at the Regent Street Polytechnic, then spent eight months at Atelier 17 in Paris. In 1955, she succeeded Howard Hodgkin as assistant art teacher at Charterhouse School and in 1965 she became a founding member of the Print Makers Council. In 1970 she became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painters-Etchers and Engravers. Thornton’s work is included in a number of major public collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum, the Tate and others.