Van Keulen, Gerard Hulst (1733 - January 1801)

Gerard Hulst Van Keulen (1733 – January 1801) was a Dutch publisher of maps and nautical charts, bookseller, and nautical instrument maker active in the late 18th century. Hulst Van Keulen was the last major scion of the legendary Van Keulen family, the most prominent Dutch nautical chart makers of the late 17th and 18th century. He was the son of Johannes II van Keulen and Catharina Buys. Hulst Van Keulen initially ran the family business with his brother Cornelius Buys Van Keulen, but when Cornelius died in 1778, he took full leadership, acquiring his brother's share of the business for some 93,000 NLG. He was responsible for publishing the final true Van Keulen editions of the family's signature product, the Zee-Fakkel, as well as a host of separately issued maps. It must be said that most, although not all, of the work published under Hulst Van Keulen was derivative of earlier Van Keulen maps and represented the trailing works of an empire in decline. Nonetheless, after the death of Gerard Hulst Van Keulen, his widow continued to manage the business, eventually passing it on to her son, Johannes Hulst Van Keulen. In 1823 Jacob Swart joined the firm, acquiring full ownership from Johannes Hulst in 1844. The Swart family, over several generations, continued to publish under the Van Keulen imprint until the company closed its doors in 1885, ending cartographic legacy spanning nearly 207 years.