Pierre HUSSON

1678 - 1733

Pierre Husson (also recorded as Pieter Husson) was a Dutch bookseller, publisher, and mapmaker active in the early 18^th century. He was baptised in The Hague on April 24, 1678, and died in 1733. Husson was the son of a shoemaker. He entered a professional bookseller and publisher apprenticeship in 1692 and was formally received as a master in 1702.

Operating primarily out of The Hague, Husson established a specialised niche in publishing commercial maps, city plans, and tactical drawings of battlefields and fortifications. This thematic focus coincided directly with the ongoing War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), creating a strong market for contemporary military geography. Husson collaborated closely with his neighbour in The Hague, the map publisher Anna Beeck (widow of Barent Beeck), with whom he shared a mutual interest in printing battle theatre iconography. Around 1717, Husson expanded his business infrastructure by formally acquiring the commercial fund and inventory of printing plates from Beeck. His geographical contributions relied heavily on modifying or compiling existing stock. He assembled various third-party maps into composite atlases, notably issuing an edited edition of Nicolas Visscher’s compilation titled Variae tabulae geographicae in quibus loca in orbe bello flagrantia conspiciuntur. His standalone portfolio includes cartographic plates such as the Carte Nouvelle du Royaume de France (1708), Plan de la Ville et de la Rade de Toulon, and Aftekening van Gibraltar.

Husson is historically distinguished as a resourceful entrepreneurial publisher who successfully capitalised on regional wartime demands by acquiring local printing plates and consolidating contemporary European military theatre maps.