(b Rotterdam, 16 Dec 1754; d Rotterdam, 17 Aug 1826). Dutch printmaker, draughtsman, painter and wallpaper designer. Groenewegen spent nearly all his life near Rotterdam on the Westzee Dyke, which leads towards Delfshaven. Like his father he was a ship’s carpenter, until he lost part of his right leg and was forced to take up another trade. He became an artist and began to make faithful representations of topographical subjects and shipping scenes. He found his subjects in Rotterdam as well as around Delfshaven, Schoonderloo, Overschie and other neighbouring villages. Apart from paintings, he made wallpaper decorations, all with shipping as their subject-matter. From 1779 until his death he produced hundreds of drawings in gouache and watercolour or pen and ink, mostly of topographical subjects. For example, his prints comprise figures in traditional costume, a number of river and port views and the illustrations of ship types known as the Collection of 84 Dutch Ships, published in seven series between 1786 and 1801 by J. van den Brink in Rotterdam. The importance of these illustrations for Dutch maritime history is considerable, as they are faithful representations by an expert in shipping; moreover, captions on prints in their second state give the names by which the various types of ships were known. Most of Groenewegen’s prints are etchings. He used the engraver’s burin to strengthen shadows, while in a number of prints he successfully combined etching with aquatint. Seven paintings by him, including View of the Marepoort, Leiden, from a Northerly Direction (undated; Leiden, Stedelijk Mus. Lakenhal; related watercolour, Rotterdam, Boymans–van Beuningen), are known; these, like his wallpaper designs, all represent shipping scenes.