El-Bekaa. (La Vallee de Coele Syrie).

Charles William Meredith van de Velde (1818-1898) was a Dutch cartographer, painter, missionary, naval lieutenant and honorary member of the Red Cross. From 1830-1841 he worked at the topographical office in modern-day Jakarta where he eventually became director. In 1844 he had to return to Europe for health reasons, where he carried out cartographic, geographic and ethnographic work and was also employed as a draftsman, and missionary nurse.
In 1854, Van de Velde published his book 'Narrative of a journey through Syria and Palestine in 1851 and 1852', which contains views of Lebanon, especially its southern parts and Palestine. The work was originally published in Dutch at Utrecht in the same year. Van de Velde travelled in the Holy Land from October 1851 to June 1852. During this journey he amassed the material for his collection of lithographed plates published in 1857 and for his large map of the Holy Land published in 1858. During his 17-year career at sea he had previously published views of Java and Sumatra.
In 1857, he published Le Pays d’Israel in French in Paris, containing 100 numbered lithographed half of which are chromolithographs, the remainder tinted lithographs in 1, 2 or tints.
According to Van de Velde’s autographed letter, only 300 copies of the lithographs were printed, and of these a certain number (not specified) were proof copies published at £25 each. Then the lithographer’s stones were destroyed.
Bibliographic reference: Blackmer 1722 & 1723.