Thomas Bewick, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Thomas Bewick

English engraver and natural history author

Date of Birth: 10-Aug-1753

Place of Birth: Northumberland, England, United Kingdom

Date of Death: 08-Nov-1828

Profession: engraver, illustrator, painter, ornithologist, graphic artist

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Thomas Bewick (c.
11 August 1753 – 8 November 1828) was an English wood-engraver and natural history author.
Early in his career he took on all kinds of work such as engraving cutlery, making the wood blocks for advertisements, and illustrating children's books.
He gradually turned to illustrating, writing and publishing his own books, gaining an adult audience for the fine illustrations in A History of Quadrupeds. His career began when he was apprenticed to engraver Ralph Beilby in Newcastle upon Tyne.
He became a partner in the business and eventually took it over.
Apprentices whom Bewick trained include John Anderson, Luke Clennell, and William Harvey, who in their turn became well known as painters and engravers. Bewick is best known for his A History of British Birds, which is admired today mainly for its wood engravings, especially the small, sharply observed, and often humorous vignettes known as tail-pieces.
The book was the forerunner of all modern field guides.
He notably illustrated editions of Aesop's Fables throughout his life. He is credited with popularising a technical innovation in the printing of illustrations using wood.
He adopted metal-engraving tools to cut hard boxwood across the grain, producing printing blocks that could be integrated with metal type, but were much more durable than traditional woodcuts.
The result was high-quality illustration at a low price.



Description	British painter and etcher
Date of birth/death	1786	23 June 1854
Location of birth/death	Newcastle upon Tyne	Newcastle upon Tyne
Authority control	: Q6141813 VIAF: 42113965 ISNI: 0000 0001 1628 9652 ULAN: 500011210 Oxford Dict.: 23087 GND: 132588099