Thomas Bewick English engraver and illustrator, wood engraver Date of Birth: 10.08.1753

Biography of Thomas Bewick

Thomas Bewick (1753–1828) was an English engraver and illustrator, renowned for his mastery of wood engraving. He was born on August 10, 1753, in Cherryburn, near Newcastle. Bewick described his childhood in his book "Memoir of Thomas Bewick, Written by Himself," which was published in 1862.

In 1767, Bewick was apprenticed to Ralph Beilby (1743–1817), the only engraver in Newcastle at the time. After completing his education, Bewick traveled around Scotland and visited London. He spent his uneventful life in Newcastle and Gateshead, initially working alongside Beilby and later with his son, Robert Elliot Bewick.

Bewick gained recognition for his illustrations in natural history works, including "A General History of Quadrupeds" (1790) and two volumes of "A History of British Birds" - "Land Birds" (1797) and "Water Birds" (1804). In addition to his remarkable wood-engraved images of animals and birds, these books, as well as his illustrated edition of Aesop's Fables (1818), feature series of carefully executed tailpieces.