Background
William Hamlin was born on October 15, 1772, in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. He was a descendant of Giles Hamlin, who settled in Hartford, Connecticut, before 1651, and the son of Captain Samuel and Thankful (Ely) Hamlin.
William Hamlin was born on October 15, 1772, in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. He was a descendant of Giles Hamlin, who settled in Hartford, Connecticut, before 1651, and the son of Captain Samuel and Thankful (Ely) Hamlin.
His educational advantages were few and William picked up by himself much of his technical knowledge.
William Hamlin set up in business “At the Sign of the Quadrant’’ as a maker and repairer of nautical instruments, optical and mathematical. In this work he became interested in engraving processes and began to experiment on copper. He advertised that he would engrave business cards but later grew more ambitious. According to Weitenkampf, he worked practically without instruction and with only fair success; his plates show “a somewhat weak mixture of mezzotint and stipple, frequently worked over with the roulette. ” He made at least three plates of the head of Washington, one of them being copied from the Savage portrait and another, engraved in his ninety-first year, from Houdon’s bust. One of his engravings shows the First Congregational Church on Benefit Street, with some flames and smoke, an indication of the fire that broke out that destroyed the church in 1814. Another notable engraving he did is that of the Experiment, a horse powered boat. He also engraved a ticket for The Experiment, entitling the bearer to a trip to New-Port or Providence.
William Hamlin is remembered as the first engraver for the state of Rhode Island. His print of “The Burning of the Frigate Philadelphia in Tripoli Harbor, February 1804” is his best-known work. He is also notable for making bank note engravings for several Rhode Island banks. Interested in astronomy, Hamlin built the first telescope in the United States.
Hamlin was a member of the Freemason society.
On April 2, 1810 Hamlin married Eliza Bowen, daughter of Isaac and Sarah (Whittaker) Bowen.
