Carel Hendrik Bartels (29 September 1792 – 10 February 1850) was the wealthiest and most important Euro-African trader and businessman on the Dutch Gold Coast in the second quarter of the nineteenth century.

[1] Apart from his entrepreneurial activities, Bartels was also a judge and member of the colonial government in Elmina, making him one of the most important men in town.

[2] The American historian Larry W. Yarak found an engraving based on a photograph of Bartels in 1995.

In August 1814, Bartels returned to the Gold Coast with the first ship after the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Leipzig, and acted as the official messenger of the Dutch authorities for this news.

From 1839 onward, Bartels acted as judge in the Court of Justice of Elmina, and was a member of the colonial council.