A General History of Quadrupeds
Artist: Thomas Bewick (British, 1753-1828)
Publisher: S. Hodgson, R. Beilby, & T. Bewick, Newcastle Upon Tyne, 1790 (1st edition)
Printer: S. Hodgson, R. Beilby. and T. Bewick, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Author: Ralph Beilby (British, 1744-1817)
Date: 1790
Dimensions:
book: 8 5/8 x 5 1/4 in. (219 x 133mm)
page: 8 1/4 x 5 in. (209 x 127mm)
Place of Origin: London, England
Classification: Books
Credit Line: Museum Purchase
Object number: 1923.3150
Label Text:This book launched Bewick's printmaking innovation of wood engraving, whereby the artist engraved "white lines" on the end grain of durable hardwood blocks with a burin (as opposed to the earlier woodcut technique of cutting on the long grain side with a knife). His miniature prints of animals had some of the detail, delicacy and subtlety previously possible only in metal engravings, but without the difficulty and cost of metal engraving. Bewick's technique proved to be a sturdy and practical method for printed illustration, and it's use became widespread in the nineteenth century prior to the invention of photomechanical processes.
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