Amos Doolittle Explained

Amos Doolittle
Birth Date:18 May 1754
Birth Place:Cheshire, Connecticut Colony, Kingdom of Great Britain
Death Place:Cheshire, Connecticut, U.S.
Resting Place:Grove Street Cemetery (New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.)
Resting Place Coordinates:41.3137°N -72.9256°W
Nationality:American
Spouse:Sally (unknown–1797) and Phebe Tuttle (1797–1825)
Field:Engraving
Training:Self-taught

Amos Doolittle (May 18, 1754 – January 30, 1832)[1] was an American engraver and silversmith, known as "The Revere of Connecticut."[2] His engravings included portraits and maps, made in his New Haven, Connecticut studio. He became famous for his four engravings depicting the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which were based on his first-hand reconnaissance of the battlefield.

Life and work

Born in Cheshire, Connecticut on May 18, 1754, Doolittle developed his skills in copper engraving through self-study and apprenticeship.[3] His first published work in the medium emerged during his enlistment in the New Haven company of the Governor's Guards in 1775. Under the leadership of Captain Benedict Arnold, the company arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts ten days after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, marking theoutset of the Revolutionary War. Upon arrival, Doolittle obtained leave to inspect the battle site, accompanied by Ralph Earl. Doolittle conducted interviews with colonial militants and local residents to establish the scene while Earl surveyed the site and made drawings.[4] From these drawings, Doolittle made at least four engraved copper prints of the battle, which were advertised for sale in the December 1775 Connecticut Journal.

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Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Beardsley, William A. . An Old New Haven Engraver and His Work: Amos Doolittle . Papers of the New Haven Colony Historical Society . 1914 . 8 . New Haven . Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor .
  2. Web site: A Chronicle of Eminent People buried in Grove Street Cemetery . Grove Street Cemetery . Friends of the Grove Street Cemetery . January 16, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100918035154/http://www.grovestreetcemetery.org/Grove_Street_Cemetery_Chronicle_of_Eminent_People.htm . September 18, 2010 . dead .
  3. Beardsley notes some learning from silversmith Eliakim Hitchcock of Cheshire.
  4. Ryan . D. Michael . Doolittle Engraves April 19th for Posterity . Concord Magazine . June–July 1999 . April 14, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120204211011/http://www.concordma.com/magazine/junjuly99/doolittle.html . February 4, 2012 .
  5. Book: Eliakim Doolittle (1772 - 1850) and Timothy Olmsted (1759 - 1848): The Collected Works. Music of the New American Nation: Sacred Music from 1780 to 1820. Maxine. Fawcett-Yeske. Karl. Kroeger. Karl Kroeger. Routledge. 2011. 9781135623777. xxi - xxiv. Introduction to this volume. 15.