Thomas Kitchin (1719–1784) was a British cartographer and engraver. Born in Southwark, England, Kitchin was the eldest of several children. He was apprenticed to the map engraver Emanuel Bowen from 1732 to 1739, and he married Bowen’s daughter, Sarah, in December 1739. By 1741 Kitchin was working independently and in 1746 he began taking on apprentices at his firm. His son Thomas Bowen Kitchin was apprenticed to him starting in 1754. By 1755 Kitchin was established in Holborn Hill, where his firm produced all kinds of engraving material, including portraits and caricatures. He married his second wife, Jane, in 1762. Beginning in 1773 Kitchin was referred to as Hydrographer to the King, a position his son also later held. He retired to St. Albans and continued making maps up to the end of his life.
A prolific engraver known for his technical facility, clean lettering, and impressive etched decoration, Kitchin produced several important works throughout his career. He produced John Elphinstone’s map of Scotland in 1746, and the first pocket atlas of Scotland, Geographia Scotiae, in 1748/1749. He co-published The Small English Atlas in 1749 with another of Bowen’s apprentices, Thomas Jefferys. He produced The Large English Atlas serially with Emanuel Bowen from 1749 to 1760. This latter was the most important county atlas since the Elizabethan era, and the first real attempt to cover the whole country at a large scale. In 1755 Kitchin engraved the important John Mitchell map of North America, which was used at the peace treaties of Paris and Versailles. In 1770 he produced the twelve-sheet road map England and Wales, and in 1769–70 he produced Bernhard Ratzer’s plans of New York. In 1783 he published The Traveller’s Guide through England and Wales.
One of the earliest printed maps of the British Colonies to appear in a British Periodical. Detailed early map of the British & French Colonies in North America, extending from Long Island and the Hudson River to the St. Lawrence, Newfoundland...
French & Indian War Map of New York and New Jersey Detailed map of the Theater of the French and Indian War in 1755. The region depicted includes the Hudson River valley, north to Lake Champlain, including Forts Ticonderoga and Frederick. Also...
One of the Earliest Obtainable Printed Views of New York City Scarce early view of New York City, first published in 1761.. Beginning in 1716, William Burgis stood at the Brooklyn Heights shore and drew the waterfront along the east side of...
Detailed map of Maryland, Delaware, the Chesapeake Bay and parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Engraved by Thomas Kitchin. The map shows towns, counties, roads, rivers, bays, and a host of other details. The map accompanied the August 1757 edition...
The Earliest Reasonably Obtainable View of Philadelphia Fine large format view of Philadelphia, with inset views of the State House and Battery, which appeared in the London Magazine. The view is based on George Heap's famed drawing of the City,...
Scarce map of the Southeastern portion of the British Colonies, extending tothe Mississippi River and lower Missouri River, based upon John Mitchell's Map of the British Colonies, also issued in 1755. The map extends to West of the Mississippi River...
Detailed map of the Caribbean and Southeastern US, extending to Texas, Mexico, Central America and South America. Numerous annotations throughout.
Scarce map of Cuba, the Bahamas, the southern tip of Florida and contiguous islands, highlighting the various trade routes in the Caribbean. "The Course of the Current Through The Gulf of Florida" is prominently labeled, as is the Track of the...
The Earliest Reasonably Obtainable View of Charleston Second edition of this large format view of Charleston is based upon a painting by Bishop Roberts in 1739, which was engraved by William Henry Toms for the London Magazine. There are two examples...
Interesting map of the Northern Pacific, showing the tracks of Captains Behring and Tschirkows Voyages of Exploration on the St. Peter and St. Paul, from Kamtschatka to the NW Coast of America and into the North East Passage, from 1728 to 1741. Vitus...
Rare early map depicting the Bering Strait and the newly discovered Aleutian Islands, shortly before the region was visited by Captain James Cook in 1778. In 1741, Vitus Bering, a Dane in the service of Russia, and Aleksei Chirikov, a Russian, sailed...
Scarce early map of the the Province of Quebec by Thomas Kitchin, which appeared in the London Magazine. The map provides a detailed early map of Quebec, bounded to the northwest by the Hudson's Bay Territories and to the South by New England. The map...
Detailed map of Guadalupe, showing towns, harbors, bays, rivers, lakes, and a host of other details. Decorative cartouche and compass rose.
Interesting map of St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados and the Windward Islands, published in the London Magazine.
Detailed map of the port of Cartagena, Spain, published in the London Magazine. Cartagena was, at the time, one of the most important ports for the Spanish Royal Navy.
Detailed map of the area around Istanbul, published in the London Magazine. The map shows the area of Istanbul, and the Bosphorus Straits, with a number of roads and smaller towns, much of which is now a part of the sprawling Istanbul Metropolis.
