Wit (Widt, or Witt), Frederik de (fl. 1648-1698) 
Wurrbach, Alfred von, Niederl&ndischer kvaistler-lexikon (1910) 
2:890, gives three persons of this name, all of whom were engrav¬ 
ers and art-dealers in Aiasterdam* The first of these flourished 
in 1648, and published chiefly maps, which he himself drew. His 
son, F. de Wit II, a mathematician as well as a draughtsican, in¬ 
herited the business in 1698, and sold it in 1706 to C, Mortier 
and J. Covens, He died in 1712, and the third Frederik de Wit 
was not known tillabout 1723. 
Nagler, 21:559 (1851), mentions the maps of the first de Wit 
and gives titles of works published by him in 1631 and 1653, al¬ 
so others xmdated. A "Theatrum florvan" consisting of 15 leaves, 
is listed by Nagler without a date. There was a "Theatrum flo- 
rum seconda pars, F, de Wit excudit,” which was advertised by 
Wheldon & Wesley, Ulus, Cat, Rare Books (1923), n,s*, 6, item 
130, under the names of *Visscher (N, ) and F, de Wit,” The first 
8 plates of this set are inscribed "Ex formis Nicolai Visscher," 
and the date of publication given by Wheldon & Wesley is around 
1620, This seems a trifle early for de Wit, altho Nagler gives 
a work by him in 1651, which is also the date given by the Inter- 
nationaal Antiquariaat, Cat.80, no.567, for a copy of the "Flori- 
legixua" of Sweerts published by "Fred, de Wit." It seems rather 
probable that some of Vissoher’s copperplates had come into pos¬ 
session of de Wit, and had been reissued by the latter at a much 
later date. There is in fact a "Theatrum florum" in two parts, 
entered under Frederik de Wit in the Brit, Mus. Cat,, with the 
date 1690, It would not be surprising if the copy offered by 
Wheldon Sc Wesley should prove to be actually an issue of this. 
From the dates of the various titles referred to Frederik de 
Wit, running from 1631 to 1690, it is evident that all of them 
must have been published by the first of the name, altho it may 
seem that 1631 is early for a man idio probably lived till about 
1698, when the business passed into the hands of his son. Most 
of the titles are dated in the second half of the 17th oent\jry, 
well within the period of his activity. 
