| Title |
Cassin, John |
| Date |
September 6, 1813-January 10, 1869 |
| Description |
John Cassin, preeminent U.S. ornithologist, and author of ornithological treatises, born September 6, 1813 near Media, Pennsylvania,
was a partner in the Philadelphia lithographic firm Bowen & Co. 1859-1867. Descended from an Irish, Quaker family, Cassin
pursued the study of natural science from the time of his primary education at the Westtown School, and in 1842, he was made
honorary curator of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences.
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|
A resident of Philadelphia from 1834, Cassin worked as a provisions dealer and custom house officer before entering the lithographic
trade ca. 1856 in association with John T. Bowen. Bowen, known for his hand-colored plate work for natural science texts issued
Cassin's "Illustrations of the Birds of California, Texas, and British and Russian America" (1856). He also later paid Cassin
$5,320 to draw, print and hand color 2,000 copies each of 38 plates of birds brought back from the Pacific Railroad Surveys
(a total of 76,000 plates at a cost of 7 cents apiece). Following Bowen's death in 1856, Cassin served as one of the appraisers
of his estate and later assumed the Bowen firm with his widow Lavinia as Bowen & Co. in 1858. During his time at Bowen & Co.,
Cassin produced lithographs for government reports and the firm printed the plates for his jointly-authored "Birds of North
America" (1860). Cassin left the lithographic trade in 1867 and died two years later on January 10, 1869. He was buried at
Laurel Hill Cemetery.
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|
Cassin was married to Hannah (b. ca. 1820) with whom he had two children. He also served on the City Council and was a member
of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Zoological Society, the American Philosophical Society, and The Historical Society of
Pennsylvania
|
| Is part of |
Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers |
| References |
See Bowen, John T. and Bowen, Lavinia. |
| Has format |
HSP-Cassin-UPA-Ph-F-158-9-I6-C36-1892.jpg |
| Call number |
Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers |
| Bibliographic citation |
Campbell, History of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick (1892), 376 |
|
Groce & Wallace, 115 |
|
"John Cassin," www.towhee.net/history/cassin.html |
|
Philadelphia Business and City Directories, 1844-1867 |
|
New York Times, January 14, 1869 |
|
Tyler, Prints of the West (2006), 103-104, 159 quoted on www.classicnatureprints.com |
| Image file |
HSP-Cassin-UPA-Ph-F-158-9-I6-C36-1892 |
