Thomas Bewick

Thomas Bewick (* probably on August 10, 1753 Cherryburn in Newcastle -upon- Tyne, Northumberland, † November 8, 1828 in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear ) was an English artist and wood engraver. He revolutionized in recent years of the 18th century woodcuts.

In contrast to traditional woodblock technique he processed the very hard wood of the beech tree, not in the conventional way cross-cut in longitudinal section, but as a grain to the grain and thus was particularly resistant to compression. The tool was used to prick with which the wood was engraved in a labor-intensive process (hence wood engraving).

The copper engraving from virtually displaced woodcut, with the development of wood engraving to an economic interest reproduction method that was used in the 19th century most often.

Life-history

Public collections, where to find graphics of Thomas Bewick are

• Edmonton Art Gallery, Canada
• Central Library of Newcastle -upon- Tyne, United Kingdom. This collection also includes a large group of printing plates, as well as drawings and watercolors by Thomas Bewick.
• Natural History Society of Northumbria, Newcastle -upon- Tyne, United Kingdom. Here is also the largest number of drawings, which is related to the work of Bewick.
• British Museum, London, United Kingdom
• Houghton Library, Department of Printing and Graphic Arts, Chicago, USA
• Newberry Library, Chicago, USA

Works in which to find graphics of Thomas Bewick are

• A new Family Herbal: Or popular account of the Natures and Properties of the various Plants used in Medicine, Diet, and the Arts hey Plants drawn from Nature, by Henderson and engraved on Wood by Thomas Bewick. Phillips, London 1810 Digitized edition of the University and State Library Dusseldorf