The Halls were an Irish born husband and wife team working as writers, editors, and sketch artists. They visited Galway during the early 1840s and created some wonderful images of places such as the Spanish Arch and Buttermilk Lane.
Anna Maria Hall nee Fielding was an Irish novelist. She was born on 6 January 1800 in Dublin. She lived with her mother, a widow, named Sarah Elizabeth Fielding and her stepfather, George Carr of Wexford. Anna Maria left for England with her mother when she was fifteen years old. She received some education from Frances Arabella Rowden, a poet with a gift for passing on her talent. Anna Maria’s first recorded contribution to literature was an Irish sketch called ‘Master Ben’, which appeared in The Spirit and Manners of the Age in January 1829. This launched into her career as an author. In 1830, she published Chronicles of a School-Room, which consisted of a series of simple tales for children. The following year, 1831, Anna Maria published a second series of ‘Sketches of Irish Character’, which was well received. The first of her nine novels, The Buccaneer followed in1832, the infamous Oliver Cromwell features in this story.
On 20 September 1824, Anna Maria married Samuel Carter Hall and they seem to have been well suited. Samuel Carter Hall was born on 9 May 1800 in the Geneva Barracks, Waterford, where his father was a British army officer. In 1821, Samuel left for London and studied law in Inner Temple (a professional association for barristers and judges). Although being called to the bar in 1841, he never practised his profession. Instead, he became a reporter and editor. He was best known as editor of The Art Journal, which has been described as the most important British nineteenth century magazine on art.
The Halls spent time in Ireland between 1841 and 1843. They also arrived in Galway during this period. The husband-and-wife team produced a three volume study of Ireland. These were aimed at English readers and focused on the pace of social reform and the potential for economic development in Ireland. It is remarkable for its description of life in rural Ireland, particularly in the years directly preceding the Great Famine of 1845-50. Each chapter is dedicated to a different county. Galway was included in Volume III of their work. The study included many illustrations, ink drawings, sketches, paintings, maps and poems. Their sketches are visually very attractive. The publication of these volumes was an extremely important milestone as they present people today with a picture of Ireland during the mid-nineteenth century.
The couple settled in Chelsea, London. They had one daughter, Mary Louisa, who died in infancy. Anna Maria Hall died on 30 January 1881. Samuel Carter Hall died on 11 March 1889.
