SMITH, ALLEN JR. (1810-11 Sept. 1890), portrait and landscape painter, was born in Dighton, Mass., to Allen and Lydia (Wardwell) Smith. He worked in Detroit for 6 years before moving to Cleveland in 1841, where he practiced for over 40 years. Smith embarked on his artistic career as a youth by copying prints and drawings. His first practical experience as a painter was working in the scene-painting department of the Bowery Theater. His formal academic training came while he was a student at the Natl. Academy. In 1835, Smith moved to Detroit; in 1841, he moved to Cleveland. While there he painted some of his most famous portraits: Gov. Tod of Ohio, Gov. Fairchild of Wisconsin, and the presidents of Western Reserve and Kenyon colleges. He also painted Leonard Case, Jr.'s, formal portrait. In 1848, he won an Art Union Prize for his portrait entitled Young Mechanic.
Smith married twice. He first married Harriet Hosmer on 19 Apr. 1830 and then Josephine Stevenson on 31 Dec. 1864. He had 8 children: Frances, Elizabeth, Benjamin W., George, Alice, Charles, Adrian, and Ida. In 1883, Smith moved to Painesville and then to Concord, Ohio, where he died. He is buried in WOODLAND CEMETERY in Cleveland.
Last Modified: 10 Jul 1997 05:11:42 PM- Related Article(s)