celebrate Bewick

Cygnus columbianus

rajthesnapper’s photo

Rick Leche’s photo

Thryomanes bewickii apparently named for Bewick by Audubon.

newcastle pavement

photo by me

Barn Owl (Tyto alba) in History of British Birds. 1847.

Engraving of a giraffe by Thomas Bewick from A General History of Quadrupeds (1790)

Bewick

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.