Digitization of two Compiled Atlases: Atlas Van der Hagen and Atlas Beudeker: Project Plan - A joint Koninklijke Bibliotheek and British Library project -

Abstract

The British Library and the Koninklijke Bibliotheek signed an agreement of co-operation 20 September 1995. Under this agreement both parties agreed on starting a joint digitisation project. Parts of two atlases, i.e. from KB the relatively unknown Atlas van der Hagen and from the BL the Beudeker Atlas will be digitised in the joint project. The main objective is to make a network production (website) of part of the two atlases to be presented at the bicentennial celebration of KB in August 1998.
The atlases can be considered important and representative cultural sources of the Dutch life and art in the seventeenth century and provide interesting material to make accessible for a wide audience.
From KB the following departments will be involved: Special Collections, Optical Technology, Information Technology and Library Research. From BL the Special Collections Department (Map Department), Information Systems, Network Systems (?) will be involved.
The project will take 18 months: December 1996 - July 1998.

Introduction

The British Library, the National Library of the UK, and the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the National Library of the Netherlands, in recognition of their mutual interests, signed an agreement of co-operation 20 September 1995.

A preliminary meeting between BL and KB staff in the Hague on 27 and 28 March 1995 identified the area of joint digital collection development and access as a potential area for collaboration. On 8 december 1995 staff from the BL flew over to the Netherlands for a meeting with members of staff from KB to discuss an appropriate subject for digitisation. It was decided to digitise materials dealing with the year 1798 to be presented at the bicentennial celebration of the KB in 1998. A cross-section of materials available from different departments from both libraries would be presented. The subject was worked out into some detail, but, due to the reorganisation within the BL, the BL was not any longer in the position to carry out the project. A more modest approach was adopted in November 1996. Rather than showing the breadth of their collections, KB and BL agreed on digitising parts of two atlases, one atlas from each library. From KB the relatively unknown Atlas van der Hagen and from the BL the Beudeker Atlas will be digitised in the joint project.

A draft goal statement was produced:
The co-operative development and implementation of a virtual collection of image databases from the BL and KB based on an integrated user and technical infrastructure. The resulting system will be available to users of both institutions.
The aim will be to have a live service (via Alexicon and Portico) operational on August 1, 1998.

Justification

The agreement between the British Library and the Koninklijke Bibliotheek is based on four joint premises, shared between the two libraries:

  • the widening of access to their catalogues and collections
  • the development of shared responses to opportunities created by IT
  • participation in joint projects
  • the development of state-of-the-art networked services

The proposal contained in this project plan is relevant to all four of the above premises and aspirations. It will build upon work already being undertaken in both libraries and will increase the effectiveness of that work by the development of a use-focussed service. It will involve both IT and curatorial staff and will provide a vehicle to address business and intellectual property issues in a collaborative framework. It will also provide an occasion to build the joint relationship on a number of levels and among staff in both libraries.

Project

The joint project proposes to digitise parts of two atlases, the Atlas van der Hagen from the Koninklijke Bibliotheek and the Beudeker Atlas from the British Library. Both are compiled atlases (factice) and can be considered representative examples of this type of atlas showing Dutch seventeenth-century life as well as the domain of collection and production of maps. The term atlas should not be interpreted in the modern sense of the word as a book of maps, but taken in the wider sense: a collection of maps and topographical pictures, with additional portraits, pictures of town plans and views, emblems, mythological scenes, etc.
The structure, content and scope of these atlases are different. They show two different views on collecting. This might tell us something about the compilers and their view on life or their objectives with the atlases. The structure of each atlas could be illustrated with "highlights" and reference could be made to the original sources.

Compiled atlases appear very interesting for multi-disciplinary research: historical cartographers, art and architectural historians, historians, cultural historians, geographers, etc. It provides a rich source for research to cultural historical, art- and architectural historical aspects of historical maps of the seventeenth century. Visual research will be enhanced by quick browsing facilities and an user friendly interface. Indexes and databases on artists, publishers or themes could be connected with the images and give detailed information and references to related sources.

Objectives:

1. To make a network production (website) of (part of) the two atlases to be presented at the bicentennial celebration of KB in August 1998.

2. Make the atlases as important cultural sources of the Dutch life and art in the seventeenth century accessible for a wide audience.

3. Conservation of costly and fragile atlases: reduction of handling
The colouring of Van der Hagen (and may-be Beudeker) is of an extraordinary quality: but with handling tiny pieces of the paint come off.

4. Linkage is possible with bio- en bibliographical information in an integrated system.

5. Future extension of the project i.e. to digitise the complete Beudeker/Van der Hagen, should be made possible, preferrably on CDROM.

The Atlases

The Atlas Van der Hagen (KB 1049 B 10-13) (c. 1690) consists of four volumes, together about 460 images. See: A Hundred Highlights from the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, no 59.

We do not know the original owner of this atlas. It may have been the Amsterdam merchant Dirk van der Hagen, who had brought together a considerable collection of drawings and prints. The Amsterdamsche Courant of 11 October 1710 announced the sale of all art on paper left by the late Mr Dirk van der Hagen. One of the entries at the auction was "an Atlas in 4 Volumes, overpainted with gold in an uncommonly artistic way, as never seen before, by D. Jansz van Zanten". As far as could be ascertained no copies of the auction catalogue have been preserved, and it is also unknown who bought Dirk van der Hagen's atlas at the time. The literature on the master colourer Van Santen always lists the Van der Hagen atlas as one of his products whose whereabouts are unknown.

The most recent literature regards the atlas as the Dirk van der Hagen atlas, which was presumed missing. However, there is no conclusive evidence for this provenance, although the date would fit: the maps by famous map makers like Blaeu, Visscher, de Wit and Janssonius, and the prints by Romeyn de Hooghe and others all date from the period up to 1689. Moreover, the atlas consists of four volumes and the colouring is currently indeed attributed to Van Santen. It has been held by the Koninklijke Bibliotheek since 1887, originating from the bequest of P.J.B.C. Robide van der Aa.

Atlas van der Hagen consists of four leatherbound volumes each of 100 pages with an index. The total number of pages is around 500 pages in all in different formats and materials. It is built around Blaeu's Atlas Major and atlases by Nicolaes Visscher. It appears to be a contemporary work with the most recent material available: c. 1670 - 1690. The material varies from topographical maps, news prints, prints of sieges, captures, town plans, to pleasure gardens and political issues (many by the famous Romeyn de Hooghe). No mythological scenes, caricatures, portraits, animals or plants have been included. The Atlas gives a wide spectrum on the world, all continents are represented but not into detail. Some maps and print have to be folded out, some maps have been glued in later while there are also some series of prints with two images on a sheet of paper. The atlas contains land and world maps, colored topographical and historical prints of sieges, victories, town views and plans, sometimes even descripting text and poems in praise have heen added. The cartouches and images in the margins of can possibly be described with Iconclass.

The merchant Dirk van der Hagen (1645-1710) came from the town of Dordrecht. He was the son of Hermanus van der Hagen, a lawyer, and Ida Nicolai. In 1632 he married Maria van Anstenraet, daughter of Isaac van Beest and Aeltje Becx. His religion was Reformed. His last known address is Keizersgracht 101 in Amsterdam. The materials have been collected between 1644 and 1690: 'in lange jaren bijeen vergadert'

The name Beudeker Collection or Beudeker Atlas commemorates the eightteenth-century Dutchman Christoffel Beudeker (1675 -1756) who compiled these twenty-four (of the original 27) large folio volumes, bound in gold-tooled white vellum, placed at Maps C.9.d.1-11, e.1-13.
The atlas is built up around the two volumes of Joan Blaeu's town book of the Netherlands, Toonneel der Steden van de Vereenighde Nederlanden, 1649 (see Koeman 1:298- ), and the Netherlands Section of his Atlas Major, 1662.

Each volume contains an average of a hundred to a hundred and fifty leaves, on to and between which some large single or several smaller prints have been mounted, and into which some complete books and extracts from others have been inserted in a carefully designed sequence. The whole form a comprehensive display of the Low Countries, comprising the United Provinces (roughly equivalent to the northern Netherlands), the Spanish/Austrian Netherlands (roughly equivalent to the modern Belgium plus French Flanders), and Luxembourg, from their earliest beginnings up to the compilers' own time, with additions by later owners right into the nineteenth century. Both topographical and historical material is used, wether factual, allegorical, heraldic, or in any combination of these, enlivened with portraits of important inhabitants of individual localities, pictures of archeological finds, of a scientific instrument here, a typical or unusual industry there. A long series of Dutch political and religieus dignitaries concludes the set.
See for biographical sketch: I.H. van Eeghen (1984)

Simularities and differences of the atlases

1. The Beudeker is very extensive and deals only with the seventeen provinces in all its aspects. Van der Hagen's part dealing with the Netherlands is relatively small (half a volume = c. 65 plates) and consists mainly of topographical maps except for some prints from Romeyn de Hooghe. There is some overlap of images both in maps and prints.

2. Dutch-Anglo relationships: this is a strong connection though the subject has been dealt with at several occasions (William and Mary, Glorious Revolution). Nevertheless, the material is of outstanding quality and well-worth presenting.

3. Subjects such as pleasure gardens, sieges, town plans, appear in both atlases.

Feasibility

Digitising the two atlases completely will probably not be feasible within the time constraints of this project. It is important to search for a solution which shows representative parts of both atlases and leaves at the same time the inherent structure intact. This approach will enable users to see the two different examples of atlas factice and the different intentions of the compilers collecting their materials.

Feasible is:
To digitise the four volume of Van der Hagen Atlas: about 450 images.

In addition, to digitise 1 volume of Beudeker Atlas:

21 (Conquesten der Nederlanden c. 125 images) Though each volume of Beudeker is specilised in a certain subject, together these three volumes are more or less representative. Digitising a few volumes completely rather than selecting materials from each volume leaves the structure of the atlas intact and it can be extended whenever appropriate.

This would mean about 625 images to be described (bibliographical description, short piece of informative text, references and links).

Workpackages

Workpackage 1 Selection and Specifications

Specific objectives

  • Select the materials from the Atlases for digitisation
  • Set the functional and technical specifications

- define a description format - select a database - define specifications for an interface

  • Provide an effective scenario for presenting the information

1.1 Selection materials
Identify and select which materials from both atlases will be digitised. The materials should be representative, unique or of outstanding quality. Decisions need to be made whether to show the unique and unknowm material rather than the more common images such as the work by Blaeu. Estimates about the size, nature and number of images (carthographic, prints, text, etc.) will have to be made.

1.2 Functional and technical Specifications
The starting point is to build a system which is capableof linking images from the atlases, texts about the images, and a biographical information.

A database needs to be chosen for entering the data.
A description format needs to be determined: which elements will be described, length of description, references to original sources.
Research needs to be done to what (search) fields in the databases are needed.
With respect to the images we need to establish how to navigate among them, which sizes and resolutions (gif, tiff, jpeg?) will be used.

1. thumbnails (recognition), 2. screen-wide (complete image, overview) 3. For larger images, users will have to scroll to be able to see the details (e.g. in the case of some large detailed maps or prints such as Romeyn de Hooghe). 4. Specific details can be shown which are significant for an image. (zoom)

An interface needs to be designed in which it will be possible to search for theme, artist, printer, publisher; information on compilers: Van der Hagen and Beudeker

Text and images will be converted to HTML, possibilities and use for converting to SGML needs to be studied.

Comparison in juxtaposition of the images should preferrably be possible (e.g. comparing two instances of Blaeu's Maior, or colouring aspects, or cartouches).

1.3 Projectplan/scenario
The information needs to be presented in such a way that users will be able to easily navigate and find their way in the information provided. The scenario for presenting the atlases (bi-lingual) could be as follows:

Home page (to be accessible from network servers KB and BL)

  • Header: Network (language switch)
  • thumbnail image (recognisable for project); Title
  • 5-10 line Introduction (Co-operation BL-KB, objective)

* General introduction (Factices, background, objectives, constraints, materials etc.)
* Atlas Van der Hagen
* Structure complete atlas
* Volume II: United Kingdom + Seventeen Provinces
* Atlas Beudeker
* Structure complete atlas
* Volume 4 (Towns Dordrecht etc.)
* Volume 9 (Towns The Hague)
* Volume 21 (Conquests of the Netherlands)
* Index/ Searchscreen:
* artist, * publisher, * subject, * material * period/year 15..-18.., * place/town
* Information on Christoffel Beudeker and his atlas
* Information on Dirk van der Hagen and his atlas

Workpackage 2: Description

Specific objections

  • Describe the images
  • Provide additional texts
  • Provide references to original sources and descriptions in Hollstein, Muller etc.
  • Convert the descriptions to HTML

Workpackage manager: KB

2.1 Description of images
Since the maps and images in the atlases have not been described yet, a format for description needs to be developed.
A content list of each of the Van der Hagen volumes is bound in the volumes as well as a manuscript index in Dutch. A contents list of each volume of the Beudeker Atlas is also available in the BL. A brief note on the collection by B. van 't Hoff is bound at the end of Maps Ref. J4(3). A full index is now on cards in the Map Library. This has entries under geographical headings, personal name headings (authors, engravers, artists, publishers) and selected subjects, such as Allegory, Costumes, Drawings, Fires, Fireworks, Fountains, Manuscript Maps, Satirical prints, Theatre, etc.

Some research to the provenance of images, sources and their background is necessary: though it is our intention to make information and sources available in a basic form allowing researchers to do the indepth study, the images need to be described to a certain extend before they can be given access to. With indexes providing the possibility to search for information on year, artist, publisher, theme, subject title, provenance, size. In addition, since the material consists for a large part of historical representations, iconographic coding (e.g. Iconclass) could be considered.

Each of the images of the selected volumes needs to be described. Descriptions will be entered in a databasesystem following the selected format (1.2). The main fields will be: title (subject), artist, publisher, printer, year, place, source. In addition a short scholarly text will explain the image.
Some useful references to original sources will be given (e.g. Blaeu Major, Atlas Sinensis).
References will be given to descriptions in Hollstein, Atlas van Stolk, Muller, Koeman etc.

Description (cartographic and art historical) of the images in Van der Hagen will be entirely done by KB. Description of Beudeker will (if possible) partly be done by BL with support from KB (using manuscript notes of B. van 't Hoff)

2.2 Descriptions in HTML
KB will convert all the texts (Dutch and English) and descriptions in HTML following the guidelines for Alexicon. For Portico, BL may mirror the English Alexicon site and adapt it in Portico-style.

2.3 Correction descriptions
Before the texts (Dutch and English) will be put on the server all descriptions need to be checked and corrected and further uniformed.
The content as well as the English need to be corrected and edited.

Workpackage 3: Digitisation

Specific objectives:

  • Digitise the selected images
  • Convert and process the digital images in the appropriate formats

The nature of the materials prohibits direct scanning of these fragile books on a flatbed scanner. First the images need to be photographed which are used as intermedium. In order to avoid loss of quality in the process the photographs or ekta's need to be of an excellent quality. Then the photographs will be scanned and processed. The use of a digital camera, on the other hand, is allowed because it will not damage the atlases.

Plates containing more than one image will have to be digitised individually.

Informative text in the atlases (e.g. the text of Villa Anguiana) will also be digitised and via links connected to the appropriate images.

Workpackagemanager: BL
other: KB (C&O)

3.1 Photo's
KB will make Ektachromes from each image as an intermediair.

3.2 Digitisation
KB will digitise Van der Hagen the ekta's at the appropriate resolutions. BL will digitise all Beudeker plates using a digital camera.

3.3 Conversion and processing
All digitised images need to be converted to the same format(s). This will in principle be done by each library for their own materials.

Workpackage 4: Designing and building the system

Specific objectives:

  • Link databases images and text
  • Build the interface and search facilities
  • Test and enhance prototype
  • Build the website

Workpackage manager: KB

4.1 Linking images and text
The images need to be linked to the appropriate texts and databases. The linkages between these items need to be thoroughly tested.

4.2 Design Prototype
An interface needs to be built following the specifications given in WP1.
A prototype needs to be ready halfway the project. After testing and during the development corrections will be made.

4.3 Production website
Both libraries need to reserve space on the server for the website which has to be integrated in the already existing structure. Each library needs to adapt the site to its own house style. First a complete Dutch version will be made, as soon as the final Dutch version will be ready the English version can be made.
For Portico, BL may mirror the English Alexicon site and adapt it in Portico-style.

4.4 Production CDROM
The production of a cd-rom will be postponed to a later stage, after the website has been launched.

Workpackage 5: Tests and final editing

5.1 User tests
Testing of the prototype and the final website will be done by staff from both libraries.

5.2 Correction English/ Final editing
Both libraries carry responsability for the final editing of the texts.

Planning

The project will be in five phases and will last eightteen months: December 1996- July 1998:
Scoping Phase December 1996 - January 1997 Identify an appropriate theme, produce a Project Plan, planning and distribution of tasks
Design Phase February - March 1997 Selection of materials, scaling and sizing of the project, writing a draft scenario, address appriopriate technological standards
Processing Phase: April 1997 - December 1997 Photographing and scanning the selected materials, describing the materials (filling in the scenario) with bibliographical descriptions, scholarly texts, references to sources and literature, writing of connecting texts. Development and production of Interface, IT systems and database contents (indexes).
Development Phase Jan 1998 - April 1998 Development and test with prototype, further development, implementation on server.
Production and Implementation Phase: May 1998 - July 1998. Trial based service and correction, Website tests in both Libraries and final implementation. Recommendations on the continuation and further development and expansion of the service.

Access and distribution

Descriptions must be bilingual. First of all in Dutch because it concerns Dutch material: both atlases are Dutch or more specifically, printed in Amsterdam. Further, an English version is required for reaching a wider audience on an international scale.

KB and BL will both work on the final editing of the texts and the translation and correction of the english language.

Website
The main goal is to build a network version to be developed for Alexicon and Portico. Each will adapt the site to its own library-style.

Presentation
The website will be presented at the 1998 celebration in Amsterdam Nieuwe Kerk. In the Nieuwe Kerk the public will be able to explore the site via the network while the original atlases and some of their sources such as the Atlas Major will be on display.
The site will be advertised in Alexicon (under "new") and Portico and the URL will be posted to related sites. A press release will be published in several appropriate magazines and papers.

References

Project Brief Neil Smith, 29 June 1995
Agreement between the British Library and the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, 20 September 1995
Beleidsplan Koninklijke Bibliotheek 1996-1997
Strategic Objectives British Library 1995-2000
Digitaliseringsplan Collecties KB, December 1996
Anna Simoni: "Terra Incognita: the Beudeker Collection in the Map Library of the British Library", British Library Journal 11 (1985): 143-75.
De wereld binnen handbereik. Nederlandse kunst- en rariteitenverzamelingen, 1585-1735. Zwolle, Amsterdam [1992]
Een wereldreiziger op papier. De atlas van Laurens van der Hem (1621-1678). Amsterdam [1992].
B. van't Hoff: manuscript notes on Beudeker 1-5, 47? Personal archive: letters to I.H. Van Eeghen