A map of Birmingham by James Henshall hand coloured engraving dated 1839

HENSHALL, J (James). (A map of) Birmingham.
 
London, published by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, May 15th 1839.
 
Large steel line engraved plan with inset, engraved and printed by James Henshall, 1 Cloudesley Terrace, Islington. Original outline hand colour, with later wash. Single-sheet map, c.33 × 40 cm. Unbacked. Complete, with no loss to image or text.
 
A detailed plan of Birmingham and its environs, produced under the superintendence of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge and explicitly incorporating boundaries derived from the Reform Act. The map presents the town at a key moment in its development, combining dense street-level detail in the urban core with surrounding parishes, canals, roads, and early railway infrastructure. Borough, parish, and ward boundaries are clearly distinguished by colour, with a reference key identifying individual wards, and an inset providing additional administrative context. Industrial, civic, and ecclesiastical buildings are delineated, and the canal network is shown in relation to manufacturing districts and suburban expansion.
 
The map forms part of a series of town plans issued by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge during the 1830s and early 1840s. These maps were intended as accurate reference tools for a broad educated readership, reflecting the Society’s commitment to political, administrative, and geographical education in the wake of parliamentary reform. Birmingham was a natural subject for such treatment following the Reform Act of 1832, which altered representation and governance in rapidly expanding industrial centres.
 
James Henshall was an architectural and topographical engraver active from the late 1820s to the early 1860s, best known for Henshall’s Illustrated Topography of Twenty-Five Miles Round London (1837–1838). His cartographic work is characterised by clarity of engraving, careful lettering, and an emphasis on practical detail. From the 1840s he increasingly pursued painting, making his engraved town plans a relatively limited body of work.