# Hannah Humphrey

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English print seller

Hannah Humphrey Born 18 October 1750 Died 1818 (aged 67–68) Occupation Designer Relatives William Humphrey

**Hannah Humphrey** (18 October 1750 – 15 February 1818)[1] was a leading London print seller of the 18th century, significant in particular for being the publisher of much of [James Gillray](/source/James_Gillray)'s output.[2]

## Biography

The sister of [William Humphrey](/source/William_Humphrey_(engraver)), Hannah Humphrey first started selling prints from her brother's premises.[3] She struck out on her own in 1778 or 1779, when she first established a printshop in St Martin's Lane.[4] Several woman print sellers ran successful businesses in 18th-century London—for example, [Mary Darly](/source/Mary_and_Matthew_Darly), Susan Vivares, and [Elizabeth Jackson.](/source/Elizabeth_Jackson_(publisher)) Humphrey was preeminent among them and became one of the top two print sellers in London, the other one being [Samuel Fores](/source/Samuel_William_Fores). Her shop in St James was visited by a fashionable clientele and had a large stock of social and political caricature, including caricature portraits of leading society figures. Notable artists she published beside Gillray included [Thomas Rowlandson](/source/Thomas_Rowlandson) and [James Sayers](/source/James_Sayers_(caricaturist)).

A satire published by Humphrey in 1782, of the relationship between Richard Cosway and his wife the painter [Maria Hadfield](/source/Maria_Hadfield), who was intimate of [Thomas Jefferson](/source/Thomas_Jefferson) and [Pasquale Paoli](/source/Pasquale_Paoli).

She moved premises a number of times:[5] from 18 [Old Bond Street](/source/Old_Bond_Street) (1778–83) to 51 [New Bond Street](/source/New_Bond_Street) (1783–89), to 18 [Old Bond Street](/source/Old_Bond_Street) (1790–94), to 37 [New Bond Street](/source/New_Bond_Street) (1794–97) and finally settling in 27 [St James's Street](/source/St_James's_Street) (1797–1817), depicted in the print *Very Slippy-Weather*.[6] James Gillray lodged with her for much of his working life, and she looked after him after his lapse into insanity around 1810 until his death in 1815. In *Two-Penny Whist*,[7] the character shown second from the left, an ageing lady with eyeglasses and a bonnet, is widely believed to be a depiction of Humphrey. She was known as Mrs Humphrey although she remained a spinster for all her life.[8] She died on 15 February 1818.[1]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) Clayton, Tim (2024). *Female Printmakers, Printsellers, and Print Publishers in the Eighteenth Century: The Imprint of Women, c. 1700–1830*. Cambridge University Press (published March 2024). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781108953535](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781108953535).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Gillorg_2-0)** ["Gillray's works on James Gillray: Caricaturist"](https://www.james-gillray.org/printsellers.html).The site indicates Humphrey published nearly 650 prints by Gillray; some 270 were issued by other publishers

1. **[^](#cite_ref-maxted_3-0)** Maxted, Ian (1977). *The London Book Trades1775-1780*. Folkestone, England: Dawson. p. 116. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7129-0696-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7129-0696-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Timothy Cayton, "Humphrey, William (b. 1742?, d. in or before 1814), engraver and printseller""](https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-14157). *[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_National_Biography#Oxford_Dictionary_of_National_Biography)* (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1093/ref:odnb/14157](https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fref%3Aodnb%2F14157). Retrieved 20 August 2019. (Subscription, [Wikipedia Library](https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/partners/88/) access or [UK public library membership](https://www.oxforddnb.com/help/subscribe#public) required.)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBritish_Museum_Biography_5-0)** [British Museum Biography](#CITEREFBritish_Museum_Biography). For dates taken from prints

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Very Slippy-Weather"](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1924-0712-132). *The British Museum*. BM Satires 11100

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["*Twopenny Whist*"](http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1634060&partId=1). BM Satires 8885

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Hannah Humphrey (British Museum Biographical details)"](http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/term_details.aspx?bioId=120372). *The British Museum*.

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Gillray, James". *Encyclopædia Britannica*, 12 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 23–24.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Hannah Humphrey](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Hannah_Humphrey).

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