John Stevens was born in Oxfordshire, England. He immigrated to the American Colonies in 1698 and lived in Boston for several years before moving to Newport, where he set up shop at 30 Thames Street in 1705. The shop moved across the street to 29 Thames Street in the mid-eighteenth century. John Stevens, his sons John II and William, and his grandson John III produced what are arguably some of colonial America’s most beautiful gravestones, many of which still sit in the nearby Common Burying Ground. The Stevens family ran the Shop for more than 220 years. In 1927, it was purchased by John Howard Benson.
John Stevens was born in Oxfordshire, England. He immigrated to the American Colonies in 1698 and lived in Boston for several years before moving to Newport, where he set up shop at 30 Thames Street in 1705. The shop moved across the street to 29 Thames Street in the mid-eighteenth century.
John Stevens is an internationally renowned stone carver, designer and calligrapher. He taught at the Rhode Island School of Design and, along with his business partner, Graham Carey, published the instructional book The Elements of Lettering in 1940. He designed and carved inscriptions for Yale University, Harvard University, and Brown University, and designed the inscriptions on the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery. In 1955, he was awarded the Craftsmanship medal by the American Institute of Architects. He died in 1956, passing the business to his son John Everett Benson.
John Stevens, his sons John II and William, and his grandson John III produced what are arguably some of colonial America’s most beautiful gravestones, many of which still sit in the nearby Common Burying Ground. The Stevens family ran the Shop for more than 220 years. In 1927, it was purchased by John Howard Benson.
The John Stevens Shop specializes in the design and execution of one-of-a-kind inscriptions in stone. Our architectural and memorial lettering is generated by hand with a broad edged brush in the manner of the great Roman inscriptions. Refined and developed for centuries this standard is based on the practiced work of hand and eye directed by a keen grasp of form and aesthetics.
Letters are carved by hand in a broad range of materials with hammers, mallets and chisels. Through these methods, graphic and calligraphic designs can be given true sculptural form. The application of computer science is also used in our work in the design and execution of custom graphics and typefaces required by contemporary production methods.
According to en.wikipedia.org; johnstevensshop.com. Source of photos: internet
