Retrospect of a Long Life: From 1815 to 1883

Two volume set. Volume I: viii, 520 pages Volume II: [4], 523 pages. Rebound. Frontispieces. Footnotes. Index. Bookplate of Oliver Belmont inside the front cover of Volume I. Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont (November 12, 1858 - June 10, 1908) was an American banker, socialite, and politician who served one term as a United States Representative from New York from 1901 to 1903. Belmont was a member of the banking firm of August Belmont and Co., New York City. He became publisher of the Verdict, a weekly paper. Also on the half-title page of Volume I there is an inscription by the author. The inscription reads "I have pleasure writing on this book the name of Agnes (Mrs) Elliott and rejoice to know it has given gratification and enjoyment to that excellent Lady. S. C. Hall Nov 4 1888". This is a memoir of a prominent figure in the literary and artistic circles of 19th century England. The book chronicles his life from his birth in 1815 to the year 1883. Hall provides an account of his childhood, education, and career as a writer and journalist. He writes about his marriage to the author Anna Maria Hall, their travels, and their involvement in the British cultural scene. Hall reflects on the events and social changes, including the Industrial Revolution, the rise of the middle class, and the impact of new technologies. He offers insights into his contemporaries, including Dickens, Thackeray, and Ruskin. This memoir provides a fascinating glimpse into the life and times of a prominent figure in Victorian England, and offers insights into the cultural/ social history of the period. Samuel Carter Hall (9 May 1800 - 11 March 1889) was an Irish-born Victorian journalist who is best known for his editorship of The Art Journal and for his much-satirized personality. He entered law studies at the Inner Temple in 1824, but never practiced, though he was finally called to the bar in 1841. Instead, he became a reporter and editor, including: Reporter, Parliamentary (1823), Editor, 'Literary Observer', Art reviews/criticism, the British Press (same period), Reporter, Representative (1826), Reporter, New Times (1826), Founder/editor, The Amulet, a Christian and Literary Remembrancer, (annually, 1826-1837), Editor, Spirit and Manners of the Age (1826), Editor, Morning Journal (1829-30), Sub-editor/Editor New Monthly Magazine (1830-1836)'s Juvenile Library, Author, "History of France", Writer, Watchman, Wesleyan Methodist newspaper, (1835), Start-up, The Town, conservative whig journal, (1836), Sub-editor, John Bull (1837), General manager, Britannia (1839), Between 1841 and 1843 he and his wife produced a three volume study of Ireland aimed at the English reader, focusing on the pace of social reform and the potential for economic development. It is notable for its description of life in rural Ireland in the year directly preceding the Great Famine. In 1839, Hodgson & Graves, print publishers, employed Hall to edit their new publication, Art Union Monthly Journal. Not long after, Hall purchased a chief share of the periodical. By 1843, he started giving an expensive, unprofitable novelty, sculpture engravings. In 1848, with Hall still unable to turn a profit, the London publisher George Virtue purchased into the Art Union Monthly Journal, retaining Hall as editor. Virtue renamed the periodical The Art Journal in 1849. In 1851, Hall engraved 150 pictures from the private collection of the Queen and Prince Albert, and the engravings were featured in the journal's Great Exhibition edition. Though this edition was quite popular, the journal remained unprofitable, forcing Hall to sell his share of The Art Journal to Virtue, but staying on as editor. As editor, Hall exposed the profits that custom-houses were earning by importing Old Masters, and showed how paintings are manufactured in England. While The Art Journal became notable for its honest portrayal of fine arts, the consequence of Hall's actions was the almost unsaleability of old masters such a.…