Benson John Lossing
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, known best for his illustrated books on the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
and American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and features in Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
. He was a charter trustee of Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
.
Biography
Lossing was born February 12, 1813 in Beekman, New YorkBeekman, New York
Beekman is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. The population was 11,452 at the 2000...
. His father was descended of old Dutch stock, originally surnamed Lassing or Lahsing, who had been among the earliest settlers of the Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
. His mother was a Quaker. His formal education was curtailed when he was orphaned in 1824. Soon thereafter, he moved to Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie (town), New York
Poughkeepsie is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 42,777 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the native term, "Uppu-qui-ipis-in," which means "reed-covered hut by the water."...
to serve as apprentice to Adam Henderson, watchmaker and silversmith. By 1833, Lossing and Henderson formed a partnership. Lossing married his first wife, Alice Barrit, in that year. In 1835, Lossing became part owner and editor of the Poughkeepsie Telegraph. Out of that publication grew a semi-monthly literary paper, the Poughkeepsie Casket, which Lossing helped illustrate with wood engravings.
In 1838, Lossing moved to New York City seeking greater opportunity as a journalist and illustrator. He edited and illustrated J.S. Rothchild's weekly Family Magazine 1839-1841 and launched his literary career with the publication of his Outline of the History of Fine Arts. In 1846, he joined William Barritt in a wood engraving business that became one of the largest of such firms in New York. His illustrations appeared in the New York Mirror
New York Mirror
The New-York Mirror was a weekly newspaper published in New York City from 1823 to 1842, and again as a daily newspaper renamed The Evening Mirror from 1844 to 1898.-History:...
and several other periodicals. During this time, Lossing sat for a portrait by Thomas Seir Cummings
Thomas Seir Cummings
Thomas Seir Cummings was an American miniature painter and author, born at Bath, England. He came to New York early in life and studied there with Henry Inman. He painted miniatures in water color, and many of his sitters were well-known contemporaries of the artist...
(1804–1894), now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Around 1848, Lossing conceived the idea of writing a narrative sketchbook on the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. The first installment was published in Harper's New Monthly Magazine in 1850; the completed Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution was published in 1853. To gather material for the work, Lossing traveled some 8,000 miles throughout the United States and Canada. As with his subsequent books, his pen and ink drawings served as the primary illustrations when turned into wood cuts. The book won him critical acclaim and general reputation. During and after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Lossing toured the United States and the once Confederacy. On the basis of that research, he published a three-volume pictorial field book/history of the war, which is also presumed to be Mathew Brady
Mathew Brady
Mathew B. Brady was one of the most celebrated 19th century American photographers, best known for his portraits of celebrities and his documentation of the American Civil War...
's first collaboration in the use of his Civil War photographs as book illustrations. In 1860-1861, the London Art Journal featured a series of Lossing's articles describing the history and scenery of the Hudson Valley; the illustrated articles were published in 1866 under the title The Hudson: From the Wilderness to the Sea. He was awarded an LL.D. by the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1873. He also worked with engraver and book publisher George Edward Perine
George Edward Perine
George Edward Perine was a noted artist, engraver, and publisher. In 1852, he began engraving for Thomas Doney in New York and in 1856-1858 for W.W. Rice, a line and bank-note engraver. He engraved in mezzotint a large plate, entitled “The Signing of the Compact in the Cabin of the Mayflower,”...
, most notably on his "History of New York City" (1884).
Lossing's first wife died in 1855 and on November 18, 1856, he married Helen Sweet. In 1868, the Lossings moved to a manor in Dover, New York
Dover, New York
Dover is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 8,565 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Dover in England, the home town of an early settler....
, that Helen had inherited from her family; they called this The Ridge, but by later custom it has come to be known as Lossing Manor. There Benson had built a fireproof library to house his collection of over five thousand books and documents associated with the American Revolution and the framing of the Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
. Lossing was actively involved in charitable, civic, literary, and historical societies, most notably serving as a charter trustee of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie. He died at home on June 3, 1891. A written reminiscence of the Lossing family and life in 19th century New York was assembled by his son, Thomas Sweet Lossing; edited by his great-nephew, Peter Hannaford, it was published as My Heart Goes Home in 1997 (Purple Mountain Press, Fleischmanns, New York).
Works
Among the over 40 books Benson Lossing authored:- Outline of the History of the Fine Arts (1840)
- Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of American Independence (1848)
- Pictorial Field Book of the RevolutionAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
(1850–52) - A Primary History of the United States for Schools and Families (1857, revised 1866)
- Life of Washington: A Biography Personal, Military, Political (1860)
- The Life and Times of Philip SchuylerPhilip SchuylerPhilip John Schuyler was a general in the American Revolution and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler.-Early life:...
(1860; revised, 1880) - The HudsonHudson RiverThe Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
from the Wilderness to the Sea (1866) - Pictorial Field Book of the Civil War (1866–69)
- Vassar College and its Founder (1867)
- Pictorial Field Book of the War of 1812War of 1812The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
(1868) - Mount Vernon & Its Associations (1859) and other editions titled Mount Vernon, or the Home of Washington
- Washington and the American Republic (1870)
- Memoir of Lieut. Col. John T. Greble' (1870) (private printing)
- A History of England, Political, Military, And Social from the Earliest Times to the Present (1871)
- Our Country: A Household History of the United States for all Readers, From the Discovery of America to the Present Time (1873)
- The American Centenary (1876)
- History of American Industries & Arts (1878)
- Story of the United States Navy for Boys (1881)
- Cyclopœdia of United States History (1881)
- New history of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent to ... Inauguration of... Chester A. Arthur: For all Readers (1881)
- Biography of James Garfield (1882)
- Lossing's School History of the United States (1883)
- History of New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
(1884) - Mary and Martha: The Mother and Wife of George Washington (1886)
- The Empire State, a Compendious History of the Commonwealth of New York (1888)
- Reflections of Rebellion: Hours With the Living Men and Women of the Revolution; A Pilgrimage (1889)
He co-authored, edited or collaborated in the following works:
- The Diary of George Washington, from 1789 to 1791 (1860)
- with Anna Seward: The Two Spies: Nathan Hale & John Andre (1886)
- with George Jotham Hagar, John Elliot Read and Alfred Hudson Guernsey: The Achievements of Four Centuries, or the Wonderful Story of Our Great Continent... (1890)
Published posthumously were:
- The Progress of Four Hundred Years in The Great Republic of the West (1890)
- with John Frederick Schroeder and E C Towne: The Life and Times of George Washington (1903)
- Harper's Encyclopedia of United States HistoryHarper's Encyclopedia of United States HistoryHarper's Encyclopædia of United States History was published by Harper & Brothers in 1901 and 1905, and again later in 1915. Notably, it contains a preface, titled The Significance of American History, written by future president Woodrow Wilson, Ph.D., LL.D., then president of Princeton University...
from 458 A.D to 1909. Based Upon the Plan of Benson John Lossing (1909). This 10 volume set included contributions from Woodrow WilsonWoodrow WilsonThomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
and Alfred Thayer MahanAlfred Thayer MahanAlfred Thayer Mahan was a United States Navy flag officer, geostrategist, and historian, who has been called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." His concept of "sea power" was based on the idea that countries with greater naval power will have greater worldwide...
.
External links
- Benson Lossing Collection at Syracuse University
- The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution (online) by Benson Lossing
- The Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution Scanned at Google
- http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/msscfa/sc19618.htm New York State Library collection
- http://diglib.princeton.edu/ead/eadGetDoc.xq?id=/ead/mss/C1112.EAD.xml Princeton University Collection
- http://www.nypl.org/research/hudson/history/his1.html New York Public Library
- http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/american_paintings_and_sculpture/Benson_John_Lossing/viewObject.aspx?&OID=20010938&PgSz=1 Portrait, Metropolitan Museum
- http://vcencyclopedia.vassar.edu/index.php?title=A_Brief_Guide_to_Vassar's_Charter_Trustees&printable=yes&printable=yes Vassar College
- http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E06E6D9173AE633A25754C1A9639C946596D6CF New York Times, May 17, 1914, Lossing library estate sale