John George Bartholomew FRSE FRGS (22 March 1860 – 14 April 1920) was a British cartographer and geographer. As a holder of a royal warrant, he used the title "Cartographer to the King"; for this reason he was sometimes known by the epithet "the Prince of Cartography".[1]
John George Bartholomew | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 22 March 1860 |
| Died | 14 April 1920 (aged 60) |
| Occupation(s) | Cartographer and Geographer |
| Awards | Victoria Medal (1905) |
Bartholomew's longest lasting legacy is arguably naming the continent of Antarctica,[2][3] which until his use of the term in 1890 had been largely ignored due to its lack of resources and harsh climate.
Biography
editBartholomew came from a celebrated line of map-makers. He was the son of Annie McGregor (d. 1872) and John Bartholomew Junior, and the grandson of the founder of John Bartholomew and Son Ltd. He was educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh.[4]
Under his administration the family business became one of the top operations in its field. Bartholomew himself was not merely a specialist in production, but also a talented geographer and cartographer. It was he who introduced the use of coloured contour layer maps developed by his father; he also anticipated the needs of late nineteenth and early 20th century travellers by publishing street maps of major cities, cycling maps, railway timetable maps, and road maps for automobiles.
He collaborated with major scientific figures and travelers of the period on projects involving their studies. Bartholomew's Atlas of Meteorology and Atlas of Zoogeography[5] were issues from a planned five-volume series that was never completed. Before he died he was able to plan out the first edition of the Times Survey Atlas of the World; this and its succeeding editions represent the most successful atlas project of the twentieth century. John was a great friend of geographer and writer John Francon Williams. Correspondence between the two friends is held in the Bartholomew Archive at the National Library of Scotland.[6] Williams also acted as a literary agent for Bartholomew in America, the UK and other territories in the world.[7]
In 1889, he married Janet Macdonald.[8]
He handed the reins of the business to his son John (Ian) Bartholomew (1890–1962).
He died in 920 in Sintra, Portugal, and is buried in the Cemitério de São Pedro de Penaferrim.
A memorial to Bartholomew, sculpted by Pilkington Jackson, exists on the northern wall of the 20th century extension to Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh. His wife Jennie, sons Hugh and Ian Bartholomew, and grandson John Christopher Bartholomew are buried at the monument.
His daughter Margaret married Philip Francis Hamilton-Grierson, grandson of Sir Philip James Hamilton-Grierson.
On the centenary of Bartholomew's death (14 April 2020), he was commemorated publicly and named as a publisher who helped to put 'Edinburgh on the map'.[9]
References
edit- ^ Leslie Gardiner (1976). Bartholomew 150 Years. John Bartholomew & Son Ltd. ISBN 0-85152-791-4.
- ^ "John George Bartholomew and the naming of Antarctica, CAIRT Issue 13". Cairt. National Library of Scotland. 2008. ISSN 1477-4186. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
- ^ "The Bartholomew Archive". Digital.nls.uk.
- ^ "John George Bartholomew". Johnbartholomew.com. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
- ^ Bartholomew, J.G., Clarke, W.E., Grimshaw, P.H., 1911. Atlas of Zoogeography. John Bartholomew and Co., Edinburgh.
- ^ "Bartholomew Archive". National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Bartholomew Archive, Inventory No. 975 – Williams, J.F. 1898–1900, 1906–7" (PDF). Nls.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "World-Famous Bartholomew Cartography Empire Helped Put Edinburgh On The Map". Edinburgh Evening News. 14 April 2020.
John George Bartholomew centenary tribute
External links
edit- Works by John George Bartholomew at Project Gutenberg
- Bartholomew: A Scottish Family Heritage – site maintained by the family.
- Times World Atlases official website including a History and Heritage section detailing landmark Times atlases
- J.G. Bartholomew at Open Library
- Works by or about John George Bartholomew at the Internet Archive