Selina Hall (1780?–1853) was a British engraver and printer in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

who prepared maps for several well-known works including John Gorton's ''A Topographical Dictionary'', Charles Black's ''1840 General Atlas'' and several

Chapman & Hall Chapman & Hall is an imprint owned by CRC Press, originally founded as a British publishing house in London in the first half of the 19th century by Edward Chapman and William Hall. Chapman & Hall were publishers for Charles Dickens (from 1840 ...

publications. Born Selina Price in

Radnorshire , HQ = Presteigne , Government = Radnorshire County Council (1889–1974) Radnorshire District Council (1974–1996) , Origin = , Status = historic county, administrative county , Start ...

around 1780, she was listed as a creditor and beneficiary of London mapmaker and engraver Michael Thomson. In 1821, she married Thomson's business partner

Sidney Hall Sidney Hall (1788?–1831) was a British engraving, engraver and cartography, cartographer well known and popular for his early nineteenth century atlases containing maps of the United Kingdom and of the Ancient history, ancient world reproduced ...

. Hall took over the business from her husband upon his death in 1831. At that time and place it was illegal for married women to own businesses, however, unmarried women (including widows) could own businesses. Maps engraved by Sidney Hall were signed "Engraved by Sid^y. Hall" while Selina marked her maps as "Engraved by S. Hall." The similarity in their signatures caused extensive misattribution of her works to her deceased husband. From 1831 until her death, she operated at 18 Bury Street in the Bloomsbury District of London. Hall died in 1853 around the age of 73. The business was carried on by her nephew Edward Weller.

References

1780 births 1853 deaths British engravers 19th-century British printmakers Women engravers 19th-century British women artists People from Radnorshire {{UK-printmaker-stub