Part 4: Biblical Illustrations – Cornelius Tiebout Engravings

Part 4. Biblical Illustrations

Think of engraving in early national America as comparable, in importance and influence, to digital imaging in modern America. Engravings were especially important in Bibles. At the time of the American revolution, most Bibles in America had been published in England, but after the war, efforts were made to reduce that dependence. "Importation from England was stopped," writes Earl L. Bradsher, "and for a considerable period America was thrown on her own resources." (From Mathew Carey, Editor, Author and Publisher: A Study in American Literary Development, New York, 1966, p. 30.)

The publishing of Bibles for which Cornelius Tiebout engraved illustrations can be summarised by the phrase, "Mathew Carey and the American Bible Flood" in David Daniell's The Bible in English: Its History and Influence (Yale University Press, 2003, Chapter 35). On page 629, Daniell concludes that "Mathew Carey's output of fine Bibles was the most significant thing about him as an American figure." For Carey's overall success as a publisher, see Mathew Carey (Wikipedia).

Tiebout's three earliest Bible illustrations appeared in 1792, followed by five more in 1796. Thereafter, most of his illustrations are found in the "flood" of Mathew Carey Bibles, published in 1801, 1803, 1804, 1805 (two), 1806, 1810, 1812, 1814, and 1816.

The Last Supper, engraved by Cornelius Tiebout

It is possible, by searching surnames in an online version of Edmund Bailey O'Callaghan's List of Editions of the Holy Scriptures…Previous to 1860 to estimate the number of illustrations by individual engravers, with results such as these:

Cornelius Tiebout, 66 ("Tiebout" occurs an additional five times, but these are for publisher John Tiebout.)
Joseph H. Seymour, 55
Benjamin Tanner, 35
Peter Maverick, 27
Francis Kearny (Kearney), 24
John Boyd, 14
Amos Doolittle, 12
William S. Leney, 5
David Edwin, 3

Several of Tiebout's illustrations (and those of other engravers) appear in more than one Bible. Also, in some of the Bibles, some of the illustrations are not signed, and it seems likely that some of these were Tiebout's work. To further cloud the counting, some Carey Bibles had more than one edition in which some of the printings did not include illustrations.

O'Callaghan's list includes the following Biblical illustrations by Tiebout and total counts of all illustrations, signed and unsigned.

1792: John Brown's Bible
Moses before the burning bush (1790)
Sampson Killing the Lion (1790)
Elijah and Elisha
* Total number of illustrations: 18, by 6 signed engravers, all marked, "Engraved for the American Edition of Brown's Family Bible."

1796: Jacob R. Berriman's Bible
Hagar in the Wilderness
The Egyptian Midwives drowning the Male Children of the Hebrews
Gideon's Sacrifice
Delilah cutting off Sampson's hair
Daniel in the Lions' Den
* Total number of illustrations: 16, by 5 signed engravers.

1801: a Mathew Carey Bible
Abel offering Sacrifice
David playing on the Harp
Shepherds worshipping the Infant (1800)
The Resurrection
The Good Samaritan (etched by James Akin)
* Total number of illustrations: 9, by 2 signed engravers

1803: a Mathew Carey Bible
John the Baptist sending his disciples to Jesus Christ
The Last Supper
The Miracle at the pool of Bethesda
The Jews demanding of Jesus if he were the Messiah
The Resurrection of Lazarus
* Total number of illustrations: 30, by 7 signed engravers

1804: a Mathew Carey Bible
Joseph discovering himself to his brethren
Obadiah concealing the Prophets
Fourth Vision of Daniel
St. Matthew
The Magi offering gifts to the Saviour
Christ curing the Centurion's servant
The disciples shewing the Temple to our Saviour
The punishment of the useless servant
Judas treating with the Scribes and Pharisees
The Evangelist S. Mark
Christ healing the Woman who touched his garment
The Evangelist S. Luke
The Annunciation
The cure of the Ten Lepers
The Evangelist S. John
Our Saviour washing the disciples' feet
The lame man cured by St. Peter
* Total number of illustrations: 20, by 1 signed engraver (2 unsigned) all marked, "Engraved for M. Carey's Family bible."

1805: a Mathew Carey Bible (Catholic)
Our Saviour in the Temple
Miracle of Bethesda
* Total number of illustrations: 11, by 3 signed engravers (4 unsigned).

1805: a Mathew Carey Bible
The Finding of Moses
Hagar in the desert
David playing on the Harp
The Broad way to destruction
The Good Samaritan
* Total number of illustrations: 30, by 3 signed engravers (18 unsigned); all had been previously published in Carey's Bibles.

1806: a Mathew Carey Bible
John the Baptist sending his disciples to Christ
The Last Supper
The Miracle at the pool of Bethesda
The Woman caught in adultery
The Jews demanding of Jesus if he were the Messiah
The Resurrection of Lazarus
* Total number of illustrations: 30, by 3 signed engravers (17 unsigned); all had been previously published by in Carey's Bibles.

1807: Collins's Quarto Bible (New York)
St. Paul
* Total number of illustrations: 12, by 8 signed engravers; all showing at the top, "Engraved for Collins's Quarto Bible, Second Edition."

1810: a Mathew Carey Bible
Joseph discovering himself to his brethren
Fourth vision of Daniel
St. Matthew
Magi offering gifts
Christ curing the Centurion's servant
The Disciples shewing the Temple
Punishment of the useless servant
Judas treating with the Scribes & Pharisees
St. Mark
S. Luke
Annunciation
Cure of the Ten Lepers
* Total number of illustrations: 20, by 1 signed engraver (8 unsigned); all previously used in Carey's 1804 Bible.

1812: a Mathew Carey Bible
Our Saviour in the Temple
John the Baptist sending his disciples to our Saviour
The Miracle at the pool of Bethesda
The Woman caught in Adultery
Total number of illustrations: 25, by 4 signed engravers (15 unsigned).

1814: a Mathew Carey Bible
The Annunciation
Our Saviour in the Temple
John the Baptist sending his disciples to our Saviour
The Miracle at the pool of Bethesda (frontispiece, plate 1)
* Total number of illustrations: 25, by 3 signed engravers (18 unsigned).

1816: Collins's Stereotype Edition
24 engravings, including "St. Paul", engraved for Collins's Quarto Bible, 4th ed. by Tiebout & Maverick

1816: a Mathew Carey Bible
70 engravings, including only one by Tiebout: The Miracle at the Pool of Bethesda

1823: Kimber & Sharpless Stereotype Edition, Philadelphia
30 engravings, including "St. Paul", by Tiebout & Maverick, [engraved for] Kimber & Sharpless' Quarto Bible

And Jesus Said — "And Jesus said unto his disciples"

It is interesting to compare Tiebout's engravings with the Mathew Carey account books, which are preserved by the American Antiquarian Society. See GIGI: AAS Digital Image Archive; a sampling of accounts. Following is an incomplete list of Tiebout accounts for engravings and copper plates, etc., including costs. The value of $1 in 1795 and for the remainder of Tiebout's life (1832) was about $24.00, in comparison with the value of $1 in 2023; see Value of $1. For example, the cost of a $2.50 copper plate as appears in the table below would be roughly $60.00 in 2023, and Tiebout's income of $50.00 for an engraving had about the same purchasing power as $1200 in 2023.

Date	Title (as abbreviated by Tiebout)	Cost (dollars)	GIGI filename and tif extension
19 Aug 1800	Nativity	50	271315_b08_f14 .0002
19 Aug 1800	David	50	271315_b08_f14 .0002
19 Aug 1800	Resurrection	50	271315_b08_f14 .0002
19 Aug 1800	Cain & Able [sic]	50	271315_b08_f14 .0002
26 Sep 1802	Prophets	50	271315_b09_f06 .0017
26 Sep 1802	Christ before Pilate	50	271315_b09_f06 .0017
26 Sep 1802	Adam & Eve	50	271315_b09_f06 .0017
22 Jan 1803	Christ & the Doctors	25	271315_b09_f06 .0017
22 Jan 1803	restoring the blind Man's sight	25	271315_b09_f06 .0017
22 Jan 1803	[restoring] Presenting gifts	25	271315_b09_f06 .0017
22 Jan 1803	[restoring] little Children &c	25	271315_b09_f06 .0017
undated	Adam & Eve	25	271315_b09_f06 .0018
undated	Finding of Moses	25	271315_b09_f06 .0018
undated	Christ before Pilate	25	271315_b09_f06 .0018
undated	Six of the Prophets	25	271315_b09_f06 .0018
undated	The flight into Egypt	25	271315_b09_f06 .0018
18 Apr 1803	The Blind Man &c	25	271315_b09_f11 .0004
18 Apr 1803	Casting out Devils	25	271315_b09_f11 .0004
18 Apr 1803	Christ before Pilate	25	271315_b09_f11 .0004
18 Apr 1803	Minor Prophets	25	271315_b09_f11 .0004
18 Apr 1803	The Doctors	25	271315_b09_f11 .0004
18 Apr 1803	finding of Moses	25	271315_b09_f11 .0004
18 Apr 1803	Little Children	25	271315_b09_f11 .0004
18 Apr 1803	Little Children (repeated)	25	271315_b09_f11 .0004
18 Apr 1803	Flight into Egypt	25	271315_b09_f11 .0004
13 Jan 1803	St. Mark	50	271315_b09_f15 .0024
13 Jan 1803	St. John	50	271315_b09_f15 .0024
13 Jan 1803	Samuel &c	60	271315_b09_f15 .0024
13 Jan 1803	three pieces of Copper	9	271315_b09_f15 .0024
8 Jul 1803	The Last Supper	75	271315_b09_f15 .0024
8 Jul 1803	St. John in Prison	60	271315_b09_f15 .0024
8 Jul 1803	Pool of Bethesda	60	271315_b09_f15 .0024
8 Jul 1803	Resurrection of Lazarus	60	271315_b09_f15 .0024
8 Jul 1803	Christ teaching	60	271315_b09_f15 .0024
8 Jul 1803	five Pieces of Copper at $2.50	12.50	271315_b09_f15 .0024
16 Sep 1803	Woman taken in adultery	65	271315_b09_f15 .0023
16 Sep 1803	Mote	50	271315_b09_f15 .0023
16 Sep 1803	Anointing of David	65	271315_b09_f15 .0023
16 Sep 1803	Good Samaritan	50	271315_b09_f15 .0023
16 Sep 1803	Job	50	271315_b09_f15 .0023
16 Sep 1803	five pieces of Copper	12.50	271315_b09_f15 .0023
12 Dec 1803	The Centurion	68	271315_b12_f13 .0021
13 Mar 1804	Annunciation	58	271315_b12_f13 .0021
13 Mar 1804	Christ before the Temple	53	271315_b12_f13 .0021
13 Mar 1804	St. Matthew	53	271315_b12_f13 .0021
10 Apr 1804	Abdias (Obadiah)	53	271315_b12_f13 .0021
10 Apr 1804	St. Peter healing the Cripple	63	271315_b12_f13 .0021
10 Apr 1804	Christ and the Apostles	58	271315_b12_f13 .0021
10 Apr 1804	Christ &c	63	271315_b12_f13 .0021
10 Apr 1804	5 P Engravings & Copper	300	271315_b12_f13 .0021
22 May 1804	St. John in the Wilderness	63	271315_b12_f13 .0021
22 May 1804	St. Joseph & his Bretheren	58	271315_b12_f13 .0021
22 May 1804	Judas	63	271315_b12_f13 .0021
22 May 1804	Presenting Gifts	63	271315_b12_f13 .0021
10 Apr 1804	Abdias &c	60	271315_b10_f13 .0005
10 Apr 1804	St. Peter &c	60	271315_b10_f13 .0005
10 Apr 1804	Christ & the Apostles	55	271315_b10_f13 .0005
10 Apr 1804	Thy faith hath made thee whole	60	271315_b10_f13 .0005
10 Apr 1804	Copper	12	271315_b10_f13 .0005
(undated)	Christ before the Temple	50	271315_b10_f13 .0005
(undated)	Centurion	65	271315_b10_f13 .0005
(undated)	St. Matthew	50	271315_b10_f13 .0005
(undated)	Annunciation	55	271315_b10_f13 .0005
12 Dec 1803	Engraving three Plates for the Bible	169.45	271315_b11_f08 .0007
13 Mar 1804	[Engraving] four Plates valued at	232	271315_b11_f08 .0007
10 Apr 1804	[Engraving] four plates	247	271315_b11_f08 .0007
22 May 1804	[Engraving] five Plates	300	271315_b11_f08 .0007
11 Jul 1804	[Engraving] four Plates	247	271315_b11_f08 .0007

The above table appears to include several duplicate records (e.g., b10_f13 .0005 and b12_f13 .0021) up to 1805. After that, Tiebout restored or polished several used engravings for further printing, and he also produced new engravings. For example, the page indexed as b14_f05 .0025 records for 9 Oct 1808 Carey's payments to Tiebout for engravings of "Judgment of Solomon", "Baptism of Christ", and "Elijah & the angel", each at a cost of $60. An exceptional engraving in this collection is "The Holy Family", which appeared in The Port Folio [magazine], New Series, vol. 7, Philadelphia, March 1812. For more about this magazine and engraving, see Part 18.

Quite aside from the Mathew Carey account books sampled above are several letters from Cornelius Tiebout to Carey, preserved by The Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Collection 227B: Lea & Febigers Records. A copy of a representative of these letters, from Box 50, appears in the first image in the carousel just below.