The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1867-10-26
a1atiunaI Rtpnblitan.
The Bowyer Bible.

About ninety years ago, n poor youth
was walking through Newgato street list
lessly looking into the shops, and lament.
ing his own poverty. His fancy was taken
by portrait in one Of the windows, and
something within him said that he too, per
chance, might he able TO paint portraits,
and TO earn living thereby. He went
home, procured paints, brushes, and bit
Of broken looking.glass and painted q
small portrait Of himself II was q success
in his eyes, and apparently in the eyes Of
others. He gradually got employment as
miniature painter, and numbered among
his sitters such great personages as George
III. and Queen Charlotte. One Sunday,
when the poor king was too far gone in his
mental malady to sit TO portrait painters,
the artist drew on his thumb nail a por-
trait Of the king, which he afterwards
transferred on the same scale to ivory: the
prince regent liked the miniature so well
that he at once purchased it at the price
n amed by the artist-a hundred guineas.
The person here treated OF was William
Bower, whose name Is now little known
or thought Of as that Of a regular artist.
Perhaps he found that be was really de-
ficient in the higher powers Of art, and that
il would be wise for him TO turn his atten-
ton to other fields OF labor. Be this as il
may, he became printer, and gradually
realized q competency in that trade. The
Stationers Company, to this day, have the
management Of q small endowment viii CHI
he established for the benefit Of poor work.
ing printers. The most remarkable work
printed by him was an edition Of "Hume's
History OF England" so costly that only
few copies could be disposed Of.
William Bowyer is now chiefly remem-
bCrcd in connection with one particular
copy Of the Bible. Macklin ventured on
tic most costly edition Of the Bible evel
issued from the press; and Bowyer, possess
ing one copy of this work, devoted tn
leisure Of nearly thirty years to illustrating
it. He procured from every port o
Europe engravings, etchings, and origna
drawings, relating TO biblical subjects; nnt
these, to the number of Sc ven thousand, h,
interleayed with his Bible. From MiChae
Angelo and Raphael to Reynolds anC
West, every artist whose Sculpture subjects
had seen engraved was brought into re
QUESTION.
Bowyer having only his one taste t
please, gave very wide scope to the mean
ing OF the words "scripturaw and "biblical;'
insomuch that he included plates Of natura
history that might possibly illustrate th'
cosmogony OF the Bible. The collection
included the best Scripture aliases Its
most original feature were two hundr e.
drawings by Lautherbourg. Thus he wen
on, step by step, until his Bible expande
to forty-fve folio volumes; including eS
amples from nearly COO different engraver
This extraordinary work seems to hay
occupied Mr.. BOwyer from about 1913
l,2l. The work, with costly binding, wit
an oak cabinet to contain all the forty-fy
volumes, is said to have cost him fou
thousand guineas. lie insured il in tn
Albion Fire Office for $4,000. After hi
death. q lottery was got up for the benef
Of his daughter, Mrs. Parkes, with thi
Bible as the sole prize. One Mr.. Saxor
n SomcrsetShirc farmer, won the prize.
Is Just possible that, as in the famous cas-
Of the family picture Of the Vicar Of Wax
field the dimensions were not found con
patiblc with domestic convenience; for tn
work has changed hands several times A
Messrs. puttick Il Simpsons q few yea
ago, II became the property of Mr.. Nor
land, of Manchester; after which it passC
into the hands of Mr.. Atkinson Of Bolto
In the early part Of March, 1856, the
was a seven days sale of the extensi'
library Of the last-nained gentleman: al
aIAong the lots the chief was a celebrate
Bowycr Bible. The biddings began
G400 ind the lot was ultimately knock,
down at $3.50 to Mr.. Robert Haywood,
Bolton. Poudcrous as such work mu
he for any private library, it would ncvC
thc'ess be pity that SO unique a cole
ton should ever be broken up and scI
tered Chambers Book Of Days.