Smith, George Girdler (September 8, 1795 - December 18, 1878)

George Girdler Smith (September 8, 1795 – December 18, 1878) was an American map and bank note engraver based in Boston throughout the 19th century. Smith was born in Danvers Massachusetts, the son of George Girdler Smith Sr. of Danvers and Sarah Girder of Marblehead. He was the grandson of Silas Smith, a privateer in the early part of the American Revolutionary War. He studied engraving under Abel Bowen Smith until 1815 and subsequently maintained an engraving studio on Boston’s Washington Street. In 1823 (although some suggest as early as 1818) he partnered with fellow Bowen apprentice, William B. Annin to found ‘Annin and Smith’. They were one of Boston’s earliest lithographic printers. As an engraver he worked with several other engravers and printers. In the 1850s he partnered with Charles A. Knight and George H. Tappan as ‘Smith, Knight, and Tappan’. In addition to his engraving work, he was an active churchman and a high-ranking Freemason