Internet Antique Gazette » maps, globes & charts

Moll, Herman – Mapmaker

hcst — Fri, 13 May 2011 15:41:45 +0000

Herman Moll (1654?-1732)

Perhaps England’s greatest early 18th century map publisher, Herman Moll was a Dutch native who moved to London to work as an engraver circa 1680. Moll was one of the first mapmakers to use London as the prime meridian for longitude. The Crown used his “Map of North America” and his 1715 “A New and Exact Map of the Dominions of the King of Great Britain on ye Continent of North America” (or “Beaver Map”) to counter French claims to territory in North America. His maps of the world, as well as those of Europe and the British Isles were of uniformly high quality and well recieved by mariners and officials of the day. Moll died in 1732.

Homann, Johann & Homann Heirs – German Mapmakers

hcst — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:04:35 +0000

Johann Baptist Homann

Johann Homann (1663 to 1724) and heirs are acknowledged to be the most important German map publishing firm of the 18th century, having supplanted the Dutch cartography which dominated the 17th century.

The Homann firm was founded in Nurnberg about 1702. Soon after publishing his first atlas in 1707, the founder became a member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences and, in 1715, he was appointed Geographer to Emperor Charles VI.

After Johann’s death in 1724, the firm was continued under the direction of his son Christoph (born 1703) until his death in 1730 when the firm passed to the heirs on the condition that they publish under the name “Homann Heirs”. The firm remained active into the 19th century and had a wide influence on map publishing in Germany. Apart from the atlases, the firm published a very large number of individual maps of Europe, the Americas, individual countries and kingdoms and even the Solar System.

De Bry, Theodore – German Engraver & Publisher

hcst — Thu, 12 May 2011 10:28:46 +0000

Theodore de Bry (German, circa 1527 to 1598)

A German publisher and engraver, Theodore de Bry was born in Liege, Belgium circa 1527 and moved to Frankfurt-am-Main circa 1570, where he established an engraving, publishing and bookselling business. He died in 1598.

De Bry is known to have engraved a number of charts in Waghenaer’s The Mariner’s Mirrour published in London in 1588. In that same year, also in London, an account was published by Thomas Hariot, illustrated by the artist John White, describing Raleigh’s abortive attempt to found a colony in Virginia, and this was to be the inspiration for de Bry’s major work, the series of maps Grands Voyages and Petits Voyages from the old world to the new. In all, 54 parts of these two works were issued containing very fine illustrations and beautiful, and now very rare, maps, much sought after by collectors.

The Grand Voyages to North and South America were pubished in 14 parts as follows: Part 1 by Theodore de Bry, published 1590 in English, French, German and Latin. Parts 2 through 6, published from 1592 to 1597, in German and Latin. Parts 7 through 9, published by de Bry’s widow and his sons from 1598 through 1602, in German and Latin. Parts 10 through 14 were published by Matthaus Merian (a noted Swiss engineer and de Bry’s son-in-law) from 1619 to 1630, in German and Latin.

The Petits Voyages: Accounts of voyages to India and the Far East were started by de Brys in 1598 and were continued in thirteen parts by his his widow and sons and completed by Matthaus Merian in 1628, in German and Latin (Part 13 in German only).

De Bry’s work, particularly with these maps, has earned him the reputation as one of the finest engravers of all time.