Thomas Bewick - Work

Work

A General History of Quadrupeds appeared in 1790 and Bewick's great achievement, that with which his name is inseparably associated, the History of British Birds, was published from 1797-1804. His Birds was published in two volumes, "Land Birds" and "Water Birds", with a supplement in 1821. The Quadrupeds deals with mammals of the whole world, and is particularly thorough on some of the domestic animals. It includes bats and seals but does not include whales or dolphins. The Birds is specifically British. Bewick was helped by his intimate knowledge of the habits of animals acquired during his constant excursions into the country. He also recounts information passed to him by acquaintances and local gentry, and that obtained in natural history works of his time, including those by Thomas Pennant and Gilbert White, as well as the translation of Buffon's Histoire naturelle. Many of the illustrations most frequently reproduced at the present day are vignettes and tailpieces at the bottoms of the pages of the original.

Bewick's art is considered the pinnacle of its medium. This is likely due to his methods: Bewick, unlike his predecessors, would carve in harder woods, notably box wood, against the grain, using fine tools normally favoured by metal engravers. This proved to be far superior, and has been the dominant method used since. Works using this technique for which he became well known included the engravings for Oliver Goldsmith's Traveller and Deserted Village, for Thomas Parnell's Hermit, for William Somervile's Chase. Bewick had numerous pupils, several of whom gained distinction as engravers. These included Luke Clennell, Charlton Nesbit, William Harvey, and his son and later partner Robert Elliott Bewick.

Bewick's autobiography, Memoirs of Thomas Bewick, by Himself, appeared in 1862. Shortly after his death, he was commemorated by the naming of a species of swan, Bewick's Swan. Bewick's Wren also took his name and Thomas Bewick Primary School, in Newcastle upon Tyne, is named after him.

Bewick is also noteworthy for having used his fingerprint as a form of signature, in conjunction with his written name to denote individuality in his publications. The significance of this happening nearly 200 years ago lead some to believe that Bewick is among the first to recognize the uniqueness of each individual human fingerprint.