Emanuel Bowen (1714 - 1767)

Emanuel Bowen was a print and map seller by trade, he was also engraver to both George II and Louis XV of France. From 1714 onwards he worked in London and began to produce some of the finest and most appealing maps of that era. He had great plans to publish a complete County Atlas, however he simply did not have the means to achieve this alone; so he joined forces with another map-maker, Thomas Kitchin, and together they published 'The Large English Altas'.

In 1749, before the completion of the Atlas, they began to issue the individual maps and in 1760 the Atlas was finally finished. With few exceptions, the maps in 'The Large English Atlas' were the largest (27" x 20") county maps ever to have been produced. They were also quite different to other maps of their time because of the topographical and historical details which were engraved around them in any blank spaces. This made them far more entertaining to peruse. At a later date, the Atlas was reissued, the only alteration being a reduction in size.

Along with various maps and Atlases, Bowen produced a book of road maps, very much in keeping with those of Ogilby, although much like the maps in 'The Large English Atlas', Bowen embellished them with historical detail and heraldic images which set them apart from others as his own work. His son, Thomas, also produced some beautiful maps, having started helping his father when he was young, he continued by himself long after Emanuel's death.