Creator Bio
Jacobus Houbraken
1698–1780
Jacobus Houbraken was a Dutch engraver. Born in Dordrecht, the Netherlands, he learned the art of engraving from his father, Arnold Houbraken. In 1707 he moved to Amsterdam to help his father with his magnum opus, The Great Theatre of Dutch Painters (1718–1721), bringing it to publication after his father’s death. Houbraken was known for his portraits of notable people in the Netherlands. He also collaborated with the historian Thomas Birch and the artist George Vertue on Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain, published in installments in London from 1743 to 1752.