Alexander Lawson
Alexander Lawson (c.1773 – August 23, 1846) was a Scottish-American intaglio artist and engraver based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who earned renown as the primary engraver of American Ornithology 9 vols. (1808–1814), authored by Alexander Wilson (1766–1813). Lawson engraved fifty copper plates (60% of the total) for that work, and also contributed to the extended editions authored or edited by George Ord (1781–1866) and Charles Lucien Bonaparte (1803–1857).
Alexander Lawson
Popular Graphic Arts · Library of Congress Catalog: http: Image download: https: Original url · Public domain
- Name
- Alexander Lawson
- Born
- c.1773
- Birthplace
- Renfrewshire, Scotland
- Died
- 22 August 1846
- Place of death
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Known for
- Ornithological engraving
- Field
- naturalist
- Occupation
- engraver
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Documentary summary
Alexander Lawson (c.1773 – August 23, 1846) was a Scottish-American intaglio artist and engraver based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who earned renown as the primary engraver of American Ornithology 9 vols. (1808–1814), authored by Alexander Wilson (1766–1813). Lawson engraved fifty copper plates (60% of the total) for that work, and also contributed to the extended editions authored or edited by George Ord (1781–1866) and Charles Lucien Bonaparte (1803–1857).
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q137739271 · wikipedia · Alexander Lawson
In this article
Biography
Biography
Lawson also engraved for several magazines in Philadelphia, including the Port Folio and Philadelphia Medical Museum.
Alexander Lawson after Alexander Rider, Stellar's Jay, Lapland Longspur and Female
Alexander Lawson after Alexander Rider · This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the National Gallery of Art. Please see the Gallery's Open Access Policy.
Alexander Lawson, Thumbnail
Alexander Lawson after Alexander Wilson · This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the National Gallery of Art. Please see the Gallery's Open Access Policy.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Alexander Lawson • Born — c.1773 • Birthplace — Renfrewshire, Scotland • Died — 22 August 1846 • Place of death — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States • Known for — Ornithological engraving • Field — naturalist
Early life in Scotland and England
Early life in Scotland and England
Lawson's date and location of birth are contested because of unresolved discrepancies among primary sources. William Dunlap (1766 1839) published a transcript of a letter (now unlocated) in which Lawson reportedly wrote to an unnamed friend: "I was born near Lanark in Scotland, in the year 1773". However, a posthumous biography written by Malvina Lawson (c.1806–1884), his eldest daughter, which she deposited at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, stated that Lawson was born on 19 December 1772, "at Ravenstruther, a village in Lanarkshire, Scotland". Furthermore, an epitaph carved into a granite obelisk that marks Lawson's grave at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Section R, Lot 134) states that he was "born in Ravenshire, Scotland / Dec. 22 1779". In the Dunlap (1834) transcript, Lawson stated that he "went to Manchester, in England, when sixteen," where he studied printmaking with a bookseller. Malvina's biography states that this happened in Liverpool.
Emigration and entry in Philadelphia printing scene
Emigration and entry in Philadelphia printing scene
According to Dunlap's (1834) transcript, Lawson stated: "I gave up my share in the [Manchester] business, and in my twentieth year, embarked from Liverpool for Baltimore, where I arrived on the 14th of July, 1794. I staid in that city one week, and the came to Philadelphia, where I have remained ever since. Lawson worked for James Thackara and John Vallance for two years.
American Ornithology (1808–14)
American Ornithology (1808–14)
Lawson met Alexander Wilson in 1798, according to Malvina, but they had limited contact until March 1804, when their friendship reignited and Wilson moved in with Lawson at the "Jones House" on Spruce St., near Pennsylvania Hospital, in Philadelphia.
Death
Death
Lawson died on August 22, 1846, and was buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery.
Identity
Identity
Alexander Lawson is recorded as engraver.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1773
Alexander Lawson born.
1846
Alexander Lawson died.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Alexander Lawson”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q137739271: Alexander Lawson
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
scholarly publication
- Lawson, Alexander (1773-1846), line engraver, American National Biography Online, 2000
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2000
Literature
Literature
Lawson, Alexander, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2011
Lawson, Alexander (1773-1846), line engraver, American National Biography Online, 2000
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Burns, Frank L. The Mechanical Execution of Wilson's "American Ornithology". The Wilson Bulletin. 41. 1. 19–23. 1929. 0043-5643.
- 2.Halley, Matthew R. Composite figures in the intaglio plates of Wilson's American ornithology (1808–14). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 145. 141–160. 9 June 2025.
- 3.Burns, Frank L. Miss Lawson's Recollections of Ornithologists. The Auk. 34. 3. 275–282. 1917. 0004-8038.
- 4.Ward, Townsend. Alexander Lawson. The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 28. 2. 204–208. 1904. 0031-4587.
- 5.Christy, Bayard H. Alexander Lawson's Bird Engravings. The Auk. 43. 1. 47–61. 1926. 0004-8038.
- 6.Lewis, Benjamin Morgan. A guide to engravings in American magazines, 1741-1810. New York Public Library. 1959.
- 7.O'Brien, D. C. The Engravers of Philadelphia's Port Folio Magazine. Printing History. 15. January 2014.
- 8.Dunlap, William. History of the Rise and Progress of the Arts of Design in the United States. George P. Scott and Company, Printers. 1834.
- 9.Halley, Matthew R. Rediscovery and history of Alexander Wilson’s house in Philadelphia, the forgotten birthplace of American ornithology (1808–1814). Archives of Natural History. 52. 2. 300–320. 22 December 2025.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Lawson, Alexander (1773-1846), line engraver, American National Biography Online, 2000Crossref registry
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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