Helen Wallis

Helen Margaret Wallis (August 17, 1924—February 7, 1995) was the Map Curator of the British Library from 1967 to 1987.

Born in Barnet, Wallis attended St Paul's School for Girls and studied at St Hugh's College, Oxford, where she completed her D.Phil degree in 1954.

In 1951, she was appointed assistant to R.A. Skelton, superintendent of the Map Room at the British Library, succeeding him in 1967.

She was the chairman of the standing commission on the history of cartography of the International Cartographic Association. In 1986, she became president of the International Map Collectors' Society and she was a founder of The Geography and Map Section of the International Federation of Library Associations. She served as President of The Society for Nautical Research, 1972-1988, and President of the British Cartographic Society.

She died in London.

Honours and Awards

*Order of the British Empire, 1986
*Hon. D.Litt. Davidson College, North Carolina
*Honorary Fellow of Portsmouth Polytechnic
*Gold Medal of the British Cartographic Society
*Caird Medal of the National Maritime Museum

Obituary

*"The Independent" 14 February 1995, by W.R. Mead