John Bartholomew facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Bartholomew
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Cartographer and engraver
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| Born | 25 December 1831 |
| Died | 29 March 1893 (aged 61) |
John Bartholomew Junior was a famous Scottish mapmaker, also known as a cartographer. He was born on December 25, 1831, and passed away on March 29, 1893. He became very well-known for creating detailed and beautiful maps.
A Life of Maps
John Bartholomew was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father, John Bartholomew Senior, had already started a company that made maps. John Junior learned all about mapmaking from his father.
He also worked for a German map expert named August Petermann. In 1856, John Junior took over his father's company. This company became known as the Edinburgh Geographical Institute. Under his leadership, it became famous in Great Britain for making some of the best maps.
Inventing Colour Maps
John Bartholomew is best known for creating a special way to show heights on maps. This method is called colour contouring, or hypsometric tints. It uses different colours to show how high or low the land is.
For example, areas that are very high, like mountains, are shown in shades of brown. Lower areas, like valleys or plains, are shown in shades of green. This makes it much easier to understand the landscape just by looking at the colours.
He first showed his new colour system at the Paris Exhibition of 1878. At first, some people were unsure about it. However, it soon became a standard way to make maps all over the world.
Famous Maps
Among his many map projects, some of the most important were his maps of Great Britain. These maps were based on the official Ordnance Survey maps. He made them at smaller scales, like half an inch or three-quarters of an inch to a mile.
These maps showed the land's shape using contour lines and his special colour contouring. The half-inch series of maps is considered one of the best of its kind ever made.
Later Life
In 1888, John Bartholomew retired. His son, John George Bartholomew, took over the family business. John George continued his father's work and made even more maps using the same principles.
For the last six years of his life, John Bartholomew lived at 32 Royal Terrace in Edinburgh. He passed away in London on March 29, 1893. He is buried with his parents and his wife, Annie McGregor, in Grange Cemetery in Edinburgh.
