Abel Bowen
Encyclopedia
Abel Bowen was an engraver
, publisher, and author in early 19th-century Boston
, Massachusetts
.
, at the time under the proprietorship of Abel's uncle, Daniel Bowen. In 1814 Bowen married Eliza Healey of Hudson, New York. Their children included Abel Bowen (d.1818).
With W.S. Pendleton
he formed the firm of Pendleton & Bowen, which ended in 1826. He joined the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association
in 1828. In the 1830s Bowen and others formed the Boston Bewick Company, which published the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge
. He lived and worked in Congress Square, ca.1823-1826;in 1832 he kept his shop on Water Street, and lived on Union Street; in 1849 he worked on School Street, and lived in Chelsea.
Bowen taught Joseph Andrews, Hammatt Billings
, George Loring Brown
, B.F. Childs, William Croome
, Nathaniel Dearborn
, G. Thomas Devereaux, Alonzo Hartwell
, Samuel Smith Kilburn
, and Richard P. Mallory. Contemporaries included William Hoogland
. His siblings included publisher Henry Bowen.
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
, publisher, and author in early 19th-century Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Biography
Bowen was born in New York in 1790. Arriving in Boston in 1812, Bowen worked as a printer for the Columbian MuseumColumbian Museum
The Columbian Museum was a museum and performance space in Boston, Massachusetts, established by Daniel Bowen, and continued by William M. S. Doyle. The museum featured artworks, natural history specimens, wax figures, and other curiosities....
, at the time under the proprietorship of Abel's uncle, Daniel Bowen. In 1814 Bowen married Eliza Healey of Hudson, New York. Their children included Abel Bowen (d.1818).
With W.S. Pendleton
Pendleton's Lithography
Pendleton's Lithography was a lithographic print studio in 19th-century Boston, Massachusetts, established by brothers William S. Pendleton and John B. Pendleton . Though relatively short-lived, in its time the firm was prolific, printing portraits, landscape views, sheet music covers, and...
he formed the firm of Pendleton & Bowen, which ended in 1826. He joined the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association
Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association
The Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association of Boston, Massachusetts, was "formed for the sole purposes of promoting the mechanic arts and extending the practice of benevolence." Founding members included Paul Revere, Benjamin Russell, and others...
in 1828. In the 1830s Bowen and others formed the Boston Bewick Company, which published the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge
American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge
The American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge was a monthly magazine based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established by a group of engravers to "give to the public a work descriptive, not merely of subjects, scenes, places, and persons existing in distant climes, but also of those...
. He lived and worked in Congress Square, ca.1823-1826;in 1832 he kept his shop on Water Street, and lived on Union Street; in 1849 he worked on School Street, and lived in Chelsea.
Bowen taught Joseph Andrews, Hammatt Billings
Hammatt Billings
Charles Howland Hammatt Billings was an artist and architect from Boston, Massachusetts.Among his works are the original illustrations for Uncle Tom's Cabin ,...
, George Loring Brown
George Loring Brown
George Loring Brown was an American landscape painter. He was born in Boston and first studied wood engraving under Alonzo Hartwell and worked as an illustrator. He studied painting with Washington Allston, but soon went to Europe, residing principally in Italy for years...
, B.F. Childs, William Croome
William Croome
William Croome was an American illustrator and wood engraver in the 19th century. He trained with Abel Bowen in Boston, Massachusetts. Croome's work appeared in the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge , Lady's Annual , Crockett Almanac , and in numerous children's books.-Works...
, Nathaniel Dearborn
Nathaniel Dearborn
Nathaniel Dearborn was an engraver in 19th-century Boston, Massachusetts.-Brief biography:Dearborn was born in New England in 1786 to inventor Benjamin Dearborn. Siblings included John M...
, G. Thomas Devereaux, Alonzo Hartwell
Alonzo Hartwell
Alonzo Hartwell was an engraver and portrait artist in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 19th century. He trained with Abel Bowen. Hartwell's work appeared in the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge and other publications....
, Samuel Smith Kilburn
Samuel Smith Kilburn
Samuel Smith Kilburn was an engraver in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 19th-century. He trained with Abel Bowen. Kilburn's work appeared in popular periodicals such as Gleason's Pictorial. His business partners included Richard P. Mallory and Henry C. Cross...
, and Richard P. Mallory. Contemporaries included William Hoogland
William Hoogland
William Hoogland was an engraver in Boston, Massachusetts, and New York in the early 19th-century. "Career obscure; but was a designer and engraver of banknotes in New York in 1815." In Boston, contemporaries included Abel Bowen, Annin & Smith, and J.V. Throop. He taught engraving to Joseph...
. His siblings included publisher Henry Bowen.
Works by Bowen
- The Naval Monument: containing official and other accounts of all the battles fought between the navies of the United States and Great Britain during the late war; and an account of the War with Algiers; to which is annexed a naval register of the United States. 1816.
- Rufus Porter. Revolving Almanack. Engraved by Abel Bowen. Billerica, Mass., ca. 1822.
- Bowen's Boston news-letter, and city record. 1826.
- Early Impressions A novella published 1827, Bowles and Dearborn: Boston, and reprinted by Allen and Ticknor, Boston, 1833.
- Bowen's picture of Boston, or The citizen's and stranger's guide to the metropolis of Massachusetts, and its environs. Boston: A. Bowen, 1829. 3rd edition, 1838.
- Young Ladies' Book. 1830.
Further reading
- William H. Whitmore, "Abel Bowen," Bostonian Society Publications, I, 1887.
External links
- WorldCat. Bowen, Abel 1790-1850
- Young Ladies' Book, excerpts. 1830.