Amos Doolittle

41°18′49″N 72°55′32″W / 41.31374°N 72.92556°W / 41.31374; -72.92556NationalityAmericanEducationSelf-taughtKnown forEngravingSpouse(s)Sally (unknown–1797) and Phebe Tuttle (1797–1825)

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.^[1] 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.^[4]

^[5]

Gallery

Engravings of Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battle of Lexington
The British entering Concord
The engagement at the North Bridge
The British retreating from Lexington

References

^ ^a ^b Beardsley, William A. (1914). "An Old New Haven Engraver and His Work: Amos Doolittle". Papers of the New Haven Colony Historical Society. Vol. 8. New Haven: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor.
^ "A Chronicle of Eminent People buried in Grove Street Cemetery". Grove Street Cemetery. Friends of the Grove Street Cemetery. Archived from the original on September 18, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2009.
^ Beardsley notes some learning from silversmith Eliakim Hitchcock of Cheshire.
^ ^a ^b Ryan, D. Michael (June–July 1999). "Doolittle Engraves April 19th for Posterity". Concord Magazine. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
^ Fawcett-Yeske, Maxine; Kroeger, Karl, eds. (2011). "Introduction to this volume". Eliakim Doolittle (1772–1850) and Timothy Olmsted (1759–1848): The Collected Works. Music of the New American Nation: Sacred Music from 1780 to 1820. Vol. 15. Routledge. pp. xxi–xxiv. ISBN 9781135623777.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Amos Doolittle.

Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1900). "Doolittle, Amos" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
American paintings & historical prints from the Middendorf collection, an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Doolittle (no. 64, 68)
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com