Female Printmakers, Printsellers, and Print Publishers in the Eighteenth Century
The Imprint of Women, c. 1700–1830

Integrates the vital contributions of women as printmakers, printsellers and print publishers into the history of eighteenth-century art.

Cristina S. Martinez (Edited by), Cynthia E. Roman (Edited by)

9781108948852, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 27 March 2025

292 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.426 kg

'Female Printsellers makes a significant contribution to how we understand printmaking and print-selling in the long eighteenth century. The product of rigorous scholarship of the highest quality, it is highly recommended to all scholars of art, culture and society in the eighteenth century.' Elena Cooper, The Burlington Magazine

A ground-breaking contribution that broadens our understanding of the history of prints, this edited volume assembles international senior and rising scholars and showcases an array of exciting new research that reassesses the history of women in the graphic arts c. 1700 to 1830. Sixteen essays present archival findings and insightful analyses that tell compelling stories about women across social classes and nations who persevered against the obstacles of their gender to make vital contributions as creative and skilled graphic artists, astute entrepreneurs and savvy negotiators of copyright law in Britain, France, Germany, Holland, Italy and the United States. The book is a valuable resource for both students and instructors, offers important new perspectives for print scholars and aims to provide impetus for further research. This title is part of the Flip it Open Programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.

Introduction: hidden legacies Cristina S. Martinez and Cynthia E. Roman
Part I. Self-Presentation and Self-Promotion: 1. Show-offs: women's self-portrait prints c. 1700 Madeleine C. Viljoen
2. Maria hadfield cosway's 'genius' for print: a didactic, commercial, and professional path Paris A. Spies-Gans
3. Caroline Watson and the theatre of printmaking Heather McPherson
4. 'Talent and untiring diligence': the print legacy of Angelika Kauffmann, Marie Ellenrieder and Maria Katharina Prestel F. Carlo Schmid
Part II. Spaces of Production: 5. 'Living in the bosom of a numerous and worthy family': women printmakers learning to Engrave in late eighteenth-century London Hannah Lyons
6. Divine secrets of a printmaking sisterhood: the professional and familial networks of the Horthemels and Hémery sisters Kelsey. D. Martin
7. Yielding an impression of women printmakers in eighteenth-century France Rena M. Hoisington
8. Laura piranesi 'incise': a woman printmaker following in her father's footsteps Rita Bernini
9. Etchings by ladies, 'not artists' Cynthia E. Roman
Part III. Competing in the Market: Acumen in Business and Law: 10. Mary Darly, fun Merchant and Caricaturist Sheila O'Connell
11. A changing industry: women publishing and selling prints in London, 1740–1800 Amy Torbert
12. Jane Hogarth: A printseller's imprint on copyright law Cristina S. Martinez
13. Shells to satire: the career of Hannah Humphrey (1750-1818) Tim Clayton
14. Encouraging Rowlandson – the women who mattered Nicholas JS Knowles
15. Female printmakers and printsellers in the early American republic: Eliza Cox Akin and Mary Graham Charles Allison M. Stagg.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: general [DSB]