Willem Janszoon Blaeu, 1571-1638

by Edward Luther Stevenson

Blaeu seems not to have become a member of any of the guilds in his adopted city, and we, therefore, cannot turn to their records for any information concerning his activities. His name first publicly appears in the records of the States General for the year 1605, in a resolution proposing that a sum of money should be granted to him for printing and publishing a Nieuw Graetbouck, a name given at that time in the Netherlands to a book containing declination tables. This resolution reads as follows: “19 Maart 1605. Is Willem Jansz Blaeu tot Amsterdam geaccordeert octroy, omme voor den tyt van 6 jaren naestcomende alleene in de vereenichde provincien in druck vuyt to geven een bouxken, geintituleert: Nieuw graetbouck, nae den ouden styl vuyt de aldercorrecste observatien van den vermaerden astronomo Tycho Brahe, gecalculeert ende gestelt op ten meridiaen deser Nederlanden, enz.”[6] A copy of this work does not appear to be extant, but we may be able, as Baudet suggests, to obtain something of an idea of its character from later publications of Blaeu, as for instance from his “Licht der Zeevaert.”

On his “Paescarte,” one of his early publications, and usually referred to the year 1606, we read that it was “Ghedruckt t’ Amsterdam bij Willem Janssoon op’t Waeter inde Sonnewijser,” a location often referred to in certain later publications as “op’ t water In de vergulde Sonnewyser,” reference being to the gilded sun-dial which as a business sign adorned the gable of his establishment.[7] It appears that in this originally selected locality his work was carried on until the year 1637, when his entire plant was moved into more commodious quarters in the Blumengracht, one year only before his death. On the death of Willem Blaeu, in 1638, the business passed into the hands of his sons John and Cornelius Blaeu. In 1672 practically the entire establishment was destroyed by fire.

Typographia....501

PRESS INVENTED BY BLAEW.

From Johnson, J. Typographia

For his ability and attainments as a practical printer Willem Blaeu is especially entitled to great honor. He labored on for many years in Amsterdam, making use of such presses as were commonly to be found in the printing houses of his own and of other lands. Finding, however, numerous inconveniences attending the structure of these oldtime presses, he was induced, about 1620, to contrive remedies.[8] In this, we are told, he succeeded beyond his expectations, so much indeed that he had nine of the new presses constructed, each of which he called by the name of one of the Muses. The excellence of Blaeu’s improvements soon becoming known to other printing houses, their proprietors were induced to follow his example, and presses of his design became, in the course of a few years, almost general throughout the Low Countries, and were introduced into England, though at first there was here much opposition to his new ideas. While the description below is that of the Blaeu establishment as it was under the management of the son John, yet as it presents to us the printing house founded by the father, Willem Blaeu, and describes a printing house of the middle of the seventeenth century, it is here cited in free translation.

“On the Blumengracht,” says Filips von Zesen, in his description of the city of Amsterdam,[9] “near the third bridge, and the third alley, may be found the greatly renowned printing house of John Blaeu, Counsellor and Magistrate, of this city. It is furnished with nine type presses, named after the nine Muses, six presses for copperplate printing, and a type foundry. The entire establishment on the canal, with the adjoining house, in which the proprietor lives, is 75 feet in breadth, and stretches along the east side of a cross street 135 feet, or with the attached house 150 feet. Fronting on the canal is a room with cases in which the copper plates are kept, from which the Atlases, the Book of the Cities of the Netherlands and of foreign countries, also the Mariners’ Atlases and other choice books are printed, and which must have cost a ton of gold. Next to this first room is a press room used for plate printing, and opening upon the cross street referred to above is a place where the type, from which impressions have been made, are washed; then follows in order the room for book printing, which resembles a long hall with numerous windows on either side. In the extreme rear is a room in which the type and certain other materials used in printing are stored. Opposite this store room is a stairway leading to a small room above which is set apart for the use of the proof-readers, where first and second impressions are carefully looked over, and the errors corrected which have been made by the typesetters. In front of this last designated room is a long table or bench on which the final prints are placed as soon as they are brought from the press, and where they are left for a considerable time. In the story above is a table for the same purpose just indicated, at the extreme end of which, and over the room occupied by the proof-readers, is the type foundry wherein the letters used in the printing of the various languages are moulded.

The foundation of this splendid building was laid in the year 1636, by John Blaeu’s oldest son Willem Blaeu,[10] and on the 13th of the fall month of the following year the printing establishment was here set in order. The original founder of the printing house, who died in the following year, was John Blaeu’s art loving father Willem, who, for a considerable time, had been a pupil of the great astronomer Tycho Brahe, whom he zealously followed, constructing many instruments for the advancement of astronomical studies, for the promotion of the art of navigation, and of other sciences of like character, an interest in all of which he revived and furthered while at the same time he made new discoveries, as has become widely known from the publications which have issued from this printing house.

But why should we here give to them such unbounded praise? Since father and son without eulogy from us are so well known to the entire learned world, to which they have presented such treasures of inestimable value through their incomparable pains and at great cost, and are so far advanced on the road to immortality, it is more becoming in us to remain silent than to speak further concerning them.”