1701 De Fer Map of Western Africa (Guinea, Benin, Morocco, Tripoli, Canary Islands)

Nicholas de Fer (1646 - October 25, 1720) was a french cartographer and publisher, the son of cartographer Antoine de Fer. He apprenticed with the Paris engraver Louis Spirinx, producing his first map, of the Canal du Midi, at 23. When is father died in June of 1673 he took over the family engraving business and established himself on Quai de L'Horloge, Paris as an engraver, cartographer, and map publisher. De Fer was a prolific cartographer with over 600 maps and atlases to his credit. De Fer's work, though replete with geographical errors, earned a large following because of its considerable decorative appeal. In the late 17th century, De Fer's fame culminated in his appointment as Geographe de le Dauphin, a position that offered him unprecedented access to the most up to date cartographic information. This was a partner position to another simultaneously held by the more scientific geographer Guillaume Delisle, Premier Geograph de Roi. Despite very different cartographic approaches, Delisle and De Fer seem to have stepped carefully around one another and were rarely publicly at odds. Upon his death of old age in 1720, Nicolas was succeeded by two of his son-in-law, Guillaume Danet and HIS brother Jacques-Francois Danet, and their heirs, who continued to publisher under the De Fer imprint until about 1760.