Antique Map of The West Riding of Yorkshire by Emanuel Bowen

Title: An Accurate map of the West Riding of Yorkshire divided into Wapontakes

Publication: The Royal English Atlas

Date: 1779

Description: Scarce. Very detailed, substantial areas of text relating to the commerce and agriculture of the county.

Condition: Folding copy as published, later hand colouring, good bold imprint.

Image size: 410 x 507mm, 16 x 20 " approx.

£225.00

Order No. 3771

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Emanuel Bowen (fl. 1714 - 67)

An 18th century map and print seller and engraver to King George II and Louis XV of France, who worked in London from about 1714, producing some of the best and attractive maps of the century. A recurring feature of Bowen's work, evident even on the early road maps, was his habit of filling every corner and space of the map with jottings and footnotes, both historical and topographical.

He had plans for completeing a major county atlas but, finding the task beyond his means, joined with Thomas Kitchin to publish TheLarge English County Atlas. Many of the maps were individually issued from 1749 and the whole atlas was finally completed in 1760.

One of his earliest engraved works Britannia Depicta, published in 1720 contained over two hundred road maps together with a miniature county map of each of the counties of England and Wales. It was an unusual feature of the atlas that the maps were engraved on both sides of each page, and this resulted in a handier sized book.

He also issued with John Owen a book of road maps based, as was usual at the time, on Ogilby but again incorporating his own style of historical and heraldic detail.

Thomas Bowen was his son, Thomas Kitchin and Thomas Jefferys were his apprentices.

Inspite of his royal appointments and apparent prosperity he died in poverty and his son, who carried on the business was no more fortunate and died in a Clerkenwell workhouse in 1790.

c.1714 Maps of the Continents 1720 (with John Owen) Britannia Depicta or Ogilby Improved.
1744-47 A Complete System of Gegraphy.
1744-48 maps for Complete Collection of Voyages (Harris).
1752 Complete Atlas Distinct View of the Known World.
1755-60 (with Thomas Kitchin) The Large English Atlas (1763/67/77/85/87 further editions and enlargements).
1758 (with John Gibson) Atlas Minimus (re-issued 1744).
1762 (with Thomas Kitchin) The Royal English Atlas 1778/80 re-issued (1794-1828 re-issued as the English Atlas).
c.1763 (with Benjamin Martin) The Natural History of England.
1766 Universal History of the World. 1767 (with Thomas Bowen) Atlas Anglicanus (re-issued 1777).
c.1777 (Thomas Bowen) The World showing the Discoveries of Captain Cook and other Circumnavigators.
c.1784 (Thomas Bowen) Maps in Rapins's History of England.