For the English naturalist and author, see Sarah Bowdich Lee.

Evelyne Webb Bowdich[note 1] (née George; 1861–1930), who wrote under the name Mrs. Bowdich, was an English writer and inventor. She contributed articles to the child rearing journal Baby: The Mother's Magazine, which formed the basis for her book, Confidential Chats with Mothers on the Healthy Rearing of their Children (1890). She also authored a vegetarian cookbook, New Vegetarian Dishes (1892). In addition, she filed two patents.

Biography

Early life

Evelyne Webb George was born in Watford, in the third quarter of 1861.[5] She was the youngest daughter of Richard George.[1]

Baby: The Mother's Magazine advertisement for Confidential Chats with Mothers.

Child rearing writing

Articles

Bowdich authored articles on child rearing for Baby: The Mother's Magazine, including "The Child with the Perpetual Cold",[6] "Our Seed-Time and Harvest",[7] and a series of articles titled "Confidential Chats".[8] She also contributed an article on spoiled children to Every Woman's Encyclopaedia.[2]

Confidential Chats with Mothers

In 1890, Bowdich published Confidential Chats with Mothers: On the Healthy Rearing of Children, a revision and enlargement of articles previously published in Baby: The Mother's Magazine.[9] Her advice was based on her own experiences as a mother:[10]

[t]here are already many highly useful and well-known works treating of maternity and its responsibilities; but they are mostly written by medical men, who, although giving most excellent advice, are obliged in a great measure to speak theoretically. I am therefore emboldened to offer some useful hints from my own experience.

Bowdich was a proponent of maternal instinct and expressed concerns that a mother's confidence in her own natural feelings was being undermined. She criticised the rising trend of infants being cared for by someone other than their mother, describing it as unnatural. She argued that a young baby required the love and care of a mother, emphasising the importance of her presence and nurturing.[11]

The book was reviewed positively in the Evening Sentinel.[12] The Bookseller stated: "Her remarks are shrewdly sensible and practical."[13] A copy was well-received by Queen Victoria.[14]

New Vegetarian Dishes

New Vegetarian Dishes, revised second edition cover

Bowdich published New Vegetarian Dishes in 1892, containing 221 recipes, 200 of which were created and tested by herself.[15] Dishes included "Soups, Salads Savouries, Stews, Soufflés, and Sauces".[16] Its preface was authored by Ernest Bell and its cover was created by Gleeson White.[15][17]

The cookbook set itself apart from earlier vegetarian works by emphasising the enjoyment and flavour of vegetarian cooking. While many vegetarian cookbooks at the time promoted a more restrictive diet, often limiting both the variety of foods and the use of seasonings, Bowdich's approach focused on creating satisfying and flavourful vegetarian meals.[18]

The book received praise in a number of publications, including The Zoophilist, The Bazaar, Exchange and Mart, and Journal of the Household, and The Saturday Review.[4][19][20] A revised second edition was published in 1893;[21] at least 12 editions were published.[22]

Inventions

Bowdich filed two patents: one in 1890 for a "drop receiver", designed to catch drops that fall from the spouts of mineral water and other syphons after use,[23] and another in 1914 for a "drip arrester".[24]

Philanthropy

Bowdich was a donor to The Animals' Friend Sustentation Fund.[25] She was also a member of the Hampstead Society for the Protection of Animals.[26]

Personal life and death

She married John Bowdich on 5 September 1882 at the Church of St. Stephen the Martyr, Regent's Park.[1] They had one son, Harcourt (1886–1912).[27][28] Her husband died in 1914.[29]

Bowditch died in Hendon in the final quarter of 1930, at the age of 69.[30]

Legacy

A selection of Bowdich's recipes were included in Anne O'Connell's Early Vegetarian Recipes (2009) and Mark Thompson's Vintage Vegetarian Cuisine.[31][32]

New Vegetarian Dishes is included in the NC State University Libraries Bernard Unti Book and Ephemera Collection on Animal Studies.[33]

Publications

Notes

  1. ^ Her first name has been variously spelled as Eveline[1] and Evelyn.[2] Her surname is sometimes spelled Bowditch.[3][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Bowdich—George". Evening Standard. 11 September 1882. p. 1. Retrieved 15 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b Bowdich, Evelyn. "The Spoilt Child". Every Woman's Encyclopaedia. Vol. 2. London. pp. 963–964.
  3. ^ "WOMEN AND VICTORIAN VALUES, 1837-1910: Parts 5 to 7". AMP. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  4. ^ a b Gregory, James Richard Thomas Elliott (2002). "Biographical Index of British Vegetarians and Food reformers of the Victorian Era". The Vegetarian Movement in Britain c.1840–1901: A Study of Its Development, Personnel and Wider Connections (PDF). Vol. 2. University of Southampton. p. 17. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Births Sep 1861". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  6. ^ Bowdich, Mrs. (1890). Ballin, Ada S. (ed.). "The Child with the Perpetual Cold". Baby: The Mother's Magazine. IV (37): 5 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Bowdich, Mrs. (February 1891). Ballin, Ada S. (ed.). "Our Seed-Time and Harvest". Baby: The Mother's Magazine. IV (39): 78 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ Mater (April 1891). Ballin, Ada S. (ed.). "Answers to Correspondence". Baby: The Mother's Magazine. IV (41): 140 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "Confidential chats with mothers on the healthy rearing of children". WorldCat. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  10. ^ Wagner, Tamara S. (2020). The Victorian Baby in Print: Infancy, Infant Care, and Nineteenth-century Popular Culture. Oxford University Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-19-885801-0 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Patel, Claire (31 March 2017). "Rolling back the Years: And so to the Seventies". La Leche League GB. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  12. ^ Penelope (19 July 1890). "Our Ladies' Column". Evening Sentinel. p. 7. Retrieved 13 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Short Notices". Bookseller and the Stationery Trades' Journal. J. Whitaker and Sons, Limited. 1890. p. 809.
  14. ^ Bowdich, Mrs. (February 1891). Ballin, Ada S. (ed.). "Readers of Baby". Baby: The Mother's Magazine. IV (39): 58 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ a b Bowdich, Mrs. (1892). "Preface". New Vegetarian Dishes. Preface by Ernest Bell. London: George Bell & Sons. pp. v–vi – via HathiTrust.
  16. ^ "A Complete Catalogue of Works Published by George Bell & Sons". The Reference Catalogue of Current Literature. J. Whitaker. 1894. p. 16.
  17. ^ "Art Nouveau Bindings: Designers, Styles, Influences, and Publishers". The Victorian Web. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  18. ^ Philips, Cedar (16 September 2010). "Cookbooks". In Puskar-Pasewicz, Margaret (ed.). Cultural Encyclopedia of Vegetarianism. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 979-8-216-06916-4 – via Google Books.
  19. ^ "New Vegetarian Dishes". Bazaar Exchange and Mart, and Journal of the Household. 1893. p. 590 – via Google Books.
  20. ^ "New Books and Reprints". The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science, Art, and Finance. London: Saturday Review, Limited. 1893. p. 308 – via Google Books.
  21. ^ Bowdich, Mrs. (1893). New Vegetarian Dishes (2nd; revised ed.). London: George Bell & Sons – via Internet Archive.
  22. ^ "New vegetarian dishes". WorldCat. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  23. ^ "Applications for Patents". The Illustrated Official Journal (Patents). 53: 4. 8 January 1890 – via Google Books.
  24. ^ "Applications for Patents". The Illustrated Official Journal (Patents). 26. 1914 – via Google Books.
  25. ^ "Our Sustentation Fund". The Animals' Friend: 144. June 1899.
  26. ^ Bowdich, Evelyne (9 June 1900). "Hampstead Society for the Protection of Animals". Hampstead & Highgate Express. p. 6.
  27. ^ "Births Mar 1886". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  28. ^ "Deaths Mar 1912". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  29. ^ "Bowdich". The Times. 8 September 1914. p. 1. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  30. ^ "Deaths Dec 1930". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  31. ^ O'Connell, Anne (2008). Early Vegetarian Recipes. Totnes: Prospect Books. p. 219. ISBN 978-1-903018-58-3 – via Internet Archive.
  32. ^ "Vintage vegetarian cuisine : early advocates of a vegetable diet and some of their recipes, from 1699 to 1935". WorldCat. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  33. ^ "Bernard Unti Book and Ephemera Collection on Animal Studies, 1761, 1802-2023". NC State University Libraries. Retrieved 13 March 2025.

Further reading

Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._Bowdich
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