Mrs. Bowdich | |
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 Cover of the revised second edition ofNew Vegetarian Dishes (1893) | |
| Born | Evelyne Webb George (1861-08-22)22 August 1861 Bushey, Hertfordshire, England |
| Died | 22 October 1930(1930-10-22) (aged 69) Golders Green,Hendon, Middlesex, England |
| Resting place | Highgate Cemetery |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | English |
| Period | 1890–1893 |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Signature | |
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Evelyne Webb Bowdich[1][a] (née George; 22 August 1861 – 22 October 1930), who wrote under the nameMrs. Bowdich, was an English writer. She contributed child-rearing articles toBaby: The Mother's Magazine, later revised and expanded asConfidential Chats with Mothers (1890), which has been cited in later discussions of maternal care. She also authored avegetarian cookbook,New Vegetarian Dishes (1892), which went through multiple editions and was reviewed in contemporary periodicals; some of its recipes were later reprinted in modern compilations. She filed patents in 1890 and 1914 for devices intended to prevent drips from siphons, and she supportedanimal welfare causes.
Bowdich was born as Evelyne Webb George inBushey on the 22 October 1861.[4][9] She was the youngest daughter of Richard George, a dance teacher, and Augusta Mary George (née Newman).[2][4]
Bowdich wrote articles on child rearing forBaby: The Mother's Magazine, which was edited byAda Ballin, including "The Child with the Perpetual Cold", "Our Seed-Time and Harvest", and pieces in the magazine's "Confidential Chats" series.[10][11][12] She also contributed an article on spoiled children toEvery Woman's Encyclopaedia.[3]
In 1890, Bowdich publishedConfidential Chats with Mothers: On the Healthy Rearing of Children, consisting of revised and expanded versions of articles previously published inBaby: The Mother's Magazine.[13] She based her writing on the subject on her personal experiences as a mother:[14]
[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 argued that some of the child-care guidance of her day left mothers less trusting of their own judgment. She also objected to the increasing use of paid or informal carers for very young infants, which she described as unnatural. She maintained that babies needed their mothers' affection and close physical care.[15]
The book received a positive notice in theEvening Sentinel.[16] InThe Bookseller, a short notice described Bowdich's remarks as "shrewdly sensible and practical".[17] In 1891,Baby: The Mother's Magazine reported that a copy had been well received byQueen Victoria.[18]
Bowdich publishedNew Vegetarian Dishes in 1892; it contained 221 recipes, 200 of which she stated were her own and had been tested by her.[19] The book included recipes for soups, salads, savouries, stews, soufflés and sauces.[20] The preface was written byErnest Bell and the cover was designed byGleeson White.[19][21]
According to Cedar Philips,New Vegetarian Dishes placed particular emphasis on taste and enjoyment, in contrast to earlier vegetarian cookbooks that often advocated a more restrictive diet and limited the variety of foods and seasonings used.[22]
Contemporary notices and reviews appeared in several publications, includingThe Zoophilist,The Bazaar, Exchange and Mart, and Journal of the Household, andThe Saturday Review.[8][23][24] A revised second edition was published in 1893, and it went through at least 12 editions.[25][26]
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, and another in 1914 for a "drip arrester".[27][28]
Bowdich was a donor toThe Animals' Friend Sustentation Fund.[29] In 1900, she wrote a letter to the editor of theHampstead & Highgate Express, appealing for funds for the Hampstead Society for the Protection of Animals.[30]
She married auctioneer John Bowdich on 5 September 1882 at the Church of St. Stephen the Martyr,Regent's Park.[2][5] They had one son, Harcourt John (1886–1912).[31][32] Her husband died in 1914 and was buried atHighgate Cemetery.[33]
Bowdich died ofstomach cancer inGolders Green, Hendon, on 22 October 1930, at the age of 69.[6][34] She was buried at Highgate Cemetery the following day.[35]
New Vegetarian Dishes is held by theNC State University Libraries as part of the Bernard Unti Book and Ephemera Collection on Animal Studies.[36] Selected recipes by Bowdich were reprinted in Anne O'Connell'sEarly Vegetarian Recipes (2009) and Mark Thompson'sVintage Vegetarian Cuisine.[37][38]
InAre Mothers Really Necessary? (1987), Bob Mullan described Bowdich as a precursor toJohn Bowlby's views on the importance of maternal care, citing her 1890 childcare handbookConfidential Chats with Mothers. It quoted her criticism of the practice of placing infants in the care of strangers soon after birth, and her argument that young babies needed a mother's "instinctive love" and physical care.[39]
In a 2025 review essay inScience of De Kai'sRaising AI, Adrian Woolfson used Bowdich as a historical point of comparison for debates about "outsourcing" care, before turning to De Kai's argument that AI systems should be "raised" and that design, training, and engagement shape their ethical development.[40]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)'Confidential Chats with Mothers on the Healthy Rearing of Children' is the name of a serviceable handbook for the household. It is carefully written by Mrs. Evelyne Webb Bowdich, and abounds with useful hints of great value to young mothers.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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