Cartography Stieler's cartographic career began with a position as a geography teacher at a girls' school in Gotha. However, he began work with
Franz Xaver von Zach, the director of the
Gotha Observatory. His works during this period include publishing cartographic representations of a number of von Zach's observations. Such illustrations were completed in von Zach's "Allgemeinen Geographischen Ephemeriden" or "General Geographical Ephemeris," published in 1798. , printed in
Stielers Handatlas. In 1804, Stieler worked in the
Geographical Institute of Weimar, continuing his goal of starting a geographical publishing business. He also produced a number of regional and international maps. With von Zach, Stieler published his "Atlas Gaspari," which included maps of many European nations, including
Spain,
Portugal, and
England. In 1806, his map of the East Indies was published. Later he would publish a 25 sheet military map of Germany that was part of a larger 204 sheet work. His maps were well known for their inclusion of new information from exploration and culture. He also incorporated a "System der fortwährenden Modernisierung," or "System of Ongoing Modernization," in his map creation and issuing. However, he began work on his most famous and long-lasting work, the Handatlas, in 1816 after a long hiatus from cartographic work. By 1826, when he completed the Handatlas, his career was nearing its end. His 1836 map of Germany would remain unfinished.
Other works and later life In addition to his contributions to cartography and law, Stieler also proposed mathematical methods in the
insurance industry. He founded an insurance bank in 1828 with merchant and founder of
Gothaer Versicherungsbank, Ernst-Wilhelm Arnoldi. Stieler died on March 13, 1836, in Gotha. == Legacy ==