BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
A Family of Mapmakers: My Family
National Library of Scotland – 31 January 2013
by John Eric Bartholomew
1. Personal Memories
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
Bartholomew Family Heritage Website: www.johnbartholomew.comLinks to many other sites incl. NLS Bartholomew Archive and Blog
What does it feel like to be part of the Bartholomew family?
Early memories: “The Office” The last generation: The three brothers John Christopher : Father and cartographer
Personal perspectives and aspirations
The family legacy and the exhibition
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
Edinburgh Geographical Institute in Duncan Street
“The Office”
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
Memories: Rotary Printing Presses in Duncan Street
Memories: “The big camera”
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
The Bartholomew Staff were part of the extended family and developed meaningful social bonds – even into retirement
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE Engraver’s rights of passage...
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
Three Bartholomew brothers: John Christopher, Peter and Robert: Progressively took charge of the firm from their father John (Ian) between 1949 and 1956.
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE Peter Bartholomew (1924–1987)
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
Bartholomew’s Board of Directors in 1976 in the Boardroom in Duncan Street
Left to Right:
Michael Chittleburgh - Marketing
David Cunningham – Finance
David Ross Stewart – MD
Peter Bartholomew – Chairman
Robert Bartholomew – Production
John C Bartholomew - Cartographic
Growing up with a cartographerand the last generation in the firm
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE Capt. John C Bartholomew – RE Surveyor in North Africa and Palestine
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE John C Bartholomew – Projects
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
A further generation pre-destined to join the company?
The exhibition encapsulates a collective legacy
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
… until 7th May 2013
Before I move on...
Any questions or personal
recollections?
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
2. Turning the clock back
Six Generations
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
Six Generations
George Bartholomew 1784–1871
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
Apprenticed to the well-known engraver Daniel Lizars
Worked on illustrations and stationery but later moved to maps.
He was involved with John Lothian’s Plan of the City of Edinburgh (1825) and plans of Leith for John Wood’s Town Atlas of Scotland (1828)
Worked later for his son John.
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE Drawing for Carlisle Cumberland
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
This wasn’t George after all!
John Bartholomew, Senior 1805-1861
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
Veritable master copper plate engraver in Edinburgh
Engraved some fine maps for local firms, such as street maps for W.H. Lizars.
Inaugurated the firm in 1826 by setting himself up independently.
Had the vision to recognise the potential for the business. He was a shy man, holding back from public life.
A pioneer, encouraging his son to make contacts abroad and learn from the German school of cartography
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
Drawn and engraved by John Bartholomew (Senior) for W.H.Lizars
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE Directory Plan of Edinburgh 1826.
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
John “Senior” and his son move their business from home at East St James Street to 4 North Bridge
North Bridge, Edinburgh 1859-1870, looking south from Princes Street.
Bartholomew printing premises on left
John Bartholomew, Junior 1831-1898
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
He trained with August Petermann, German cartographer in London
Expanded business with draughtsmanship and lithographic printing
Introduced a pioneering system of layer colouring
Spent much time abroad visiting business contacts
Enriched firm’s tradition and its reputation for accurate, painstaking cartography.
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
Augustus Petermann – Pivotal influence on the destiny of the Bartholomew cartographic vision?
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
John Bartholomew, Junior 1831-1893
John Bartholomew begs respectfully to draw the attention of Lawyers, Engineers and Architects to his facilities for preparing Plans ….
… In the shortest possible notice and in the most correct and careful manner.
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
“We can recommend Mr Bartholomew as an excellent practical engraver and compiler of Maps etc., thoroughly acquainted with the Minutiae of his business. He possesses an extensive and recent knowledge of geography and is most attentive to any work he undertakes…”
John Junior’s neighbour and client, Adam Black (of A & C Black publishers)wrote of him:
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
John Junior introduces lithographic printing to the business. Print runs became huge, and profitable
From copper plate presses to lithography
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
John Junior’s new premises in Brown Square (now Chambers Street)
Company moves from North Bridge to Brown Square
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
British Empire growing: New territories explored and needing mapped.
Rail networks adding lines: Constantly needing to print new prospectuses and the maps to go with them.
Missionary societies: A veritable industry: Sending people into all remote corners of the globe.
Geography education popularised maps.
Besides maps, huge demand for engraving and coloured lithographic printing by other publishers (e.g. medical, biological and botanic textbooks).
The times were perfect for Bartholomew’s business to flourish.
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
Still mainly maps for other publishers: e.g. Blackwood’s County Maps: Sutherland
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
Maps mainly for other publishers: e.g. North British Railway (1846)
Railways proliferated and every new line required plans
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE John Junior introduced layer colouring, perfected later by his son (1880)
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE Layer colouring – the innovation
Bartholomew, Plate 46 of the Survey Atlas of Scotland, 1912
‘the mountains of poor Scotland [be] represented as sprawling and wriggling about like so many inebriated centipedes and convulsed caterpillars’
James Geikie, 1895John Thomson, Southern Part of Ross and Cromatry Shires, 1820
[Slide after: Chris Fleet, NLS]
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
John Bartholomew, Jr. commissioned to engrave the map of Treasure Island for Robert Louis Stevenson's bestseller. (1895 Edinburgh edition on left)
John's brother, Henry Bartholomew (1834-99), may have been the one who actually crafted it, though this is uncertain.
Treasure IslandJohn Bartholomew, Junior 1831-1893
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
Treasure Island
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE
1885: John Junior heads to North America for three months to make connections
BARTHOLOMEW: A SCOTTISH FAMILY HERITAGE