Eduard Imhof 1895–1986

Summary

This obituary commemorates Swiss cartographer, scholar, and artist Eduard Imhof (1895–1986), an honorary member of the Coronelli Society. Over eight decades, Imhof profoundly influenced modern cartography through foundational works on terrain representation, thematic mapping, school cartography, aerial-perspective color scales, and the history of maps. He played leading roles in Swiss school atlases and served as president of the editorial commission and editor-in-chief of the Atlas of Switzerland, completed in 1980. His output also encompassed wall maps, panoramas, bird’s-eye views, painted relief maps, physical relief models, and the map design for the Tell globe. His final major work was the 1982 painted map Relief of Switzerland. Internationally, he further advanced the discipline by founding and editing the International Yearbook of Cartography.