Van Keulen Family
1680 to c.1820's, Dutch publishers, specialists in sea charts
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Although the firm was founded by Johannes van Keulen (1654-1711), he was primarily a publisher; it was his son, Gerard, a talented engraver, mathematician and Hydrographer to the East India Company, who became the driving force of the business which not only published charts but also books on every aspect of geography, navigation and nautical matters.
The Dutch produced a remarkable number of enterprising and prolific map and chart makers but not even the Blaeu and Jansson establishments could rival the vigour of the van Keulen family whose business was founded in 1680 and continued under their name until 1823 and in other names until 1885 when it was finally wound up and the stock dispersed at auction. Throughout the history of the family, the widows of several of the van Keulens played a major part, after their husbands' deaths, in maintaining the continuity of the business.
The firm was founded by bookseller Johannes van Keulen in 1678 in Amsterdam. The first part of his Zee Atlas was published in 1680 and was expanded to 5 volumes over the years. It continued in one form or another until 1734.
More ambitious and with a far longer life was his volume of sea charts, the Zee-Fakkel, published in 1681-82. A popular publication, which with changes and revisions was still being printed up until the year 1800. The firm acquired the stock of a rival cartographic publisher, Hendrik Doncker, in 1693 and this seemed to have a major impact on the business.
In all there were over 120 editions of the Zee-Fakkel with text in Dutch, French, English, Spanish and Italian. The original charts were compiled by Claes Janszoon Vooght. In later years, especially under the direction of Gerard van Keulen and his sons, the charts were constantly revised and increased in number. Until the founding of the Dutch Hydrographic Office in 1856 they were regarded as the 'official' Dutch sea charts
