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The
Fables of Aesop and Others
The
Fables were projected long before the engraving work was begun
in 1811; some of the drawings may have been done by Johnson,
who died in 1796. (Iain Bain has shown how the claim by Chatto
and Jackson that Johnson designed all the drawings
for the Fables is quite wrong.) The title-page clearly says
'Designs on Wood by Thomas Bewick'. In fact, one of Bewick's
letters acknowledges the work done by the apprentices in cutting
the blocks, but it meant that he had to take greater care
to fill in the detail of the drawings, and supervise the work
of the 'boys', making necessary changes to the blocks as he
thought fit before considering them finished. There are various
ancestor works to this collection, especially Samuel Croxall's
book of the same title published in 1722, which was very well
known to Bewick. It seems clear that Bewick borrowed compositional
ideas from Croxall. Despite such influence and the notable
contributions of his son Robert (now his partner) and the
apprentices William Harvey and William Temple, the work remains
Bewick's in both essence and impact.
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