BEW
BEW
and within about twelve months he was again settled at Newcastle, and soon after became the partner of his former master. At this time he engaged to furnish the cuts for an edition of Gays ' Fables/ published in 1779. The work showed a good know- ledge of his art, and 'The Old Hound/ one of these cuts, obtained a premium from the Society of Arts. In 17&4, a new edition of 'Select Fables' was published, the wood-cuts for which were entirely the work of himself and his brother, and showed an advance in his art, with improved finish.
From his earliest youth he was a close observer and delineator of animals. He neglected no opportunity of visiting and studying the itinerant collections which were brought to Newcastle, and had long
E rejected a ' History of Quadrupeds.' This e commenced in 1785, and after several years of preparation, in conjunction with his partner, published, in 1790, the first edition, the drawings and engravings for which were entirely by his own hand : and as a proof of its popularity, in each of the succeeding two years printed another edi- tion. During the progress of this work he was employed upon some plates in copper, the natural history illustrations for a ' Tour through Sweden and Lapland,' which are curious specimens of that art, combining the manner both of wood and copper. His ' Quadrupeds ' became widely known, and the work was very highly esteemed : the animals themselves, the vignettes and tail-pieces descriptive of their haunts and habits, with quaint bits of humour, satire, and fun, were a great and unexpected charm. His fame was now firmly estab- lished, both as an engraver and designer, and he engaged, with his brother John, upon a series of cuts for Goldsmith's 'Traveller' and 'Deserted Village,' and Parnell's 'Hermit,' which were published by Buhner in 1795, and their success afterwards led to Somerville's ' Chase.'
The * Quadrupeds' had been the found- ation of his fortune, and pursuing the same idea, and jointly with his partner, he began, in 1791, the cuts for a new work, 'The History of British Birds,' and in 1797 published the first volume, containing the land-birds, the finest example of his work. His partner contributed the written descriptions ; but, owing to some mis- understanding, he published in 1804 the second volume, the water-birds, himself, with some assistance in the literary part. This new work increased his reputation ; the minute and characteristic accuracy. of the drawing, the natural delicacy of the feathered and furry textures, the truth of the backgrounds and accessories, and the graphic humour of the vignettes, were un- surpassed, and a new scope and value
given to the art of wood engraving. In 1818 he published jEsop's ' Fables/ with his own designs. This was his last work, and had occupied him six years. He was engaged in the latter part of his life, assisted by his son, upon the 'British Fishes.' About 30 cuts of the fishes were completed, with more than 100 vignettes of river and coast scenery, the vagaries of fishermen and fishwomen, birds of prey fishing, and such like ; but the work was not finished. His last project was to im- prove the morals and taste of the lower classes by a series of prints on a large scale for cottage-walls ; and a cut of an old horse, intended to h ead an address on cruelty, his last attempt. He died of gout at his house, near the Windmill Hills, Gateshead, November 8, 1828, in his 76th year. He was a man of frank, genial habits, with a strong power of observation and love of nature, and united the talents of the draftsman and engraver with the knowledge of the naturalist— the power of vigorous invention with laborious detail. * The number of his works and his in- dustry are inconceivable. Fine copies of his birds and quadrupeds command large prices. For an impression of his celebrated
- Bull/ dated 1789, 20 guineas have been
given ; and the impressions of a zebra, an elephant, a lion, and tiger, which he executed on a large scale for an exhibitor of wild beasts, are now rare. Yet his art is best shown in his smaller pieces. But it must not be said that all had been the work of his own hands. He had the merit of educating several talented pupils, who assisted him. Of them, Robert Jonnson designed many of the tail-pieces in the birds and the greater number of the fables published in 1818 ; and Luke ClenneU. among other works, the greater portion of the tail-pieces in the second volume of the birds. His own brother, too ; was a valu- able coadj utor. Several memoirs and notices of him have been published — 'A Sketch of his Life and Works/ by his friend Mr. Atkinson ; ' Some Account of his Life, Genius, and Personal Habits,' by another friend, Mr. Doveston ; a memoir in ' Black- wood's Magazine,' 1825, and in the ' Gentle- man's Magazine/ 1829 ; a notice, in Jack- son's ' Treatise on Wooa Engraving/ 1839 ; 'A Critical Catalogue of his Works and his Brother's, with Notices of their Lives/ by John Gray Bell, 1851 ; and lastly, a manuscript memoir, which he left with his family, was published in 1862, but it is very discursive, and but little connected with his art.
/BEWICK, John, wood engraver . Younger brother of the foregoing Thomas Bewick. He was born at Cherryburn in 1760, and was apprenticed to his brother. During five years he assisted in many of
