Frederick De Wit

Frederick De Wit was born around 1630 and was a successful map engraver and publisher in Amsterdam. The Netherlands had become a major naval and commercial power and he was one of many Dutch map makers and publishers that worked in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. He produced world atlases, an atlas of the Netherlands, city and town plans of the Netherlands and Europe, sea charts and wall maps. De Wit also produced a maritime atlas containing 27 maps in 1675. His maps were admired for the beauty of the engraving and use of strong colour. De Wit acquired many of the copper plates made by his predecessors Blaeu and Jansson. Both of these men were accomplished map makers. Maps by De Wit were popular during his lifetime and after his death in 1706. His son and grandson were also named Frederick De Wit and they continued in the map making business.