Details
Title Hitchcock, William E.
Date ca. 1822-May 30, 1906
Description William E. Hitchcock, born in Pennsylvania ca. 1822, worked as a lithographer in Philadelphia ca. 1852-ca. 1861. Hitchcock lithographed work for P. S. Duval and John T. Bowen, including sheet music covers and book illustrations. Most of his known lithographs are plates printed by Bowen for Cassin's "Illustrations of the Birds of California, Texas, Oregon, British and Russian America" (1855) and Audubon's "The Birds of America" ( 1840-1844) and "The Quadrupeds of North America" (1849-1854).
According to Peters, Hitchcock also delineated drawings for naturalist Louis Agassiz and worked for Thomas Sinclair whose son John married his daughter. Although also purported by Peters to have killed himself in 1880, Hitchcock worked as a teller at the Western Saving Fund (1000 Walnut Street) by this time with a residence at 2126 Mt. Vernon Street. He remained in this profession to at least 1900.
Hitchcock was married to Harriet (b. ca. 1829) with whom he had several children. In 1855, he was listed in city directories with the profession of ornithology at 1 Park Place and resided nearby at Twentieth and Locust Streets. In 1861, he lived at 1418 Chestnut Street and in South Philadelphia by 1870. During the 1880s and 1890s he lived at 2126 Mt. Vernon Street and 809 North Twenty-fourth Street. His household often included a servant, and in 1860 he owned real estate valued at $2000.
Hitchcock is most likely the William E. Hitchcock noted in the "Philadelphia Inquirer" who died at 85 years of age on May 30, 1906.
Is part of Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers
References See Bowen, John T.; Cassin, John; and Duval, P. S.
Call number Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers
Bibliographic citation Census 1860, 1870, 1880
Groce & Wallace, 319
Peters, 218
Philadelphia Business and City Directories, 1855-1900 (intermittently)
Philadelphia Inquirer, June 1, 1907
WWWAA, 1577