Robert Morden

Emanuel Bowen (1694 – 1767) was an outstanding British map engraver of Welsh origin, one of the most renowned cartographers of all time. Honoured to serve for royal courts of two kings, he was highly regarded by his contemporaries and was known to be one of, if not the most, accurate and detail-oriented scholars of his era.

Born in Carmarthenshire, Wales, Emanuel Bowen did not come from a wealthy or noble family. A son of a member of a local gentry, in 1709, he became an apprentice to Charles Price as a merchant tailor. As early as 1714, he moved to London, and already in 1716, he joined the Merchant Taylors’ Livery Company. However, it was mapmaking that happened to really interest Bowen.

A common feature, that occurred on his works since the very beginning and distinguished his maps, was his hankering to fill all the blank spaces on the map with additional information. Historical and topographical footnotes can still be found in his works. Such dedication to his business was rewarded by the nobility: Emanuel Bowen had an honour of serving as a Royal Mapmaker to King George II of Great Britain and Louis XV of France. Throughout his career the famous master also had the opportunity to work alongside other British cartographers, such as John Owen and Herman Moll.

Gifted and prolific, Bowen left an enormous legacy. He published several atlases and created great deal of maps, not only of Britain and its counties, but of many other governments and locations around the globe, including the Netherlands, Bermudas, African countries and even the North Pole.

Together with renowned cartographers such as John Cary, Robert Morden and John Speed, Emanuel Bowen is regarded as one of Britain’s most important cartographers. Noted as one of the leading London engravers, Bowen had many apprentices, including his own son, who after Bowen’s death in 1767, continued the business of the great master.