Frank Hill Smith
Encyclopedia
Frank Hill Smith was an artist and interior designer in Boston
, Massachusetts
, United States
in the 19th-century. He painted landscapes and figures; and designed wall frescos, stage curtains, stained glass windows, and other decor. Among his works are ceiling frescoes in the Representatives Hall in the Massachusetts State House
.
(ca.1859) and also studied at the Lowell Institute
. As part of his training he "drew from the antique at the Athenaeum." He travelled in Europe in the 1860s, studying at "the atelier Suisse, in Paris, and ... with [Léon] Bonnat
and other noted French painters" (1865).
In the 1870s "there is no doubt that Smith, [Albion Harris] Bicknell, [Thomas] Robinson, Cole, [William Morris] Hunt
, Waterman, and, later on, [Frederic Porter] Vinton
, and one or two others, had pretty much the swing of art in Boston for several years. ... They were constantly together, working like brothers in the cause. ... Smith, Robinson, and Hunt used to paint a great deal together; in fact, they formed a triumvirate club to 'sass one another's pictures,' as Hunt termed it."
In 1880 New York's "Union League Club ... contracted with John La Farge, Frank Hill Smith, Augustus Saint-Gaudens
, and Will H. Low
to undertake decoration of ... areas in [its] new building." In 1886 Smith was "working on the plans of a Casino, to be erected in Green Bay, Florida. The designs are drawn in a broad, artistic manner, and are the most extensive for comfort and elegance of any known in this country. It is estimated that it will require $350,000 to erect and finish the structure."
Around this time he designed a cottage intended for Walt Whitman; it was never built. He painted an "elegant drop curtain" for the Fairhaven Town Hall auditorium, in Massachusetts, ca.1894. Smith also painted ceiling frescoes in the Representatives Hall in the Massachusetts State House
, depicting portraits of Samuel Adams
, John Hancock
, James Otis
and Joseph Warren
.
In Boston's Beacon Hill, he lived in the Sunflower House on the corner of River and Mt. Vernon Streets. A local newspaper described it:
Smith exhibited works in the Museum of Fine Arts
in Copley Square (1877) and Williams & Everett
's gallery (ca. 1877). He belonged to Boston's St. Botolph Club. He also acted as a judge in the 1876 U.S. Centennial Exhibition
in Philadelphia. Around the 1880s he served on the "Permanent Committee of the School of Drawing and Painting of the Museum of Fine Arts
," Boston.
His descendants included artist Fannie Hillsmith
.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 19th-century. He painted landscapes and figures; and designed wall frescos, stage curtains, stained glass windows, and other decor. Among his works are ceiling frescoes in the Representatives Hall in the Massachusetts State House
Massachusetts State House
The Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the "New" State House, is the state capitol and house of government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is located in Boston in the neighborhood Beacon Hill...
.
Biography
In Boston Smith trained with Hammatt BillingsHammatt Billings
Charles Howland Hammatt Billings was an artist and architect from Boston, Massachusetts.Among his works are the original illustrations for Uncle Tom's Cabin ,...
(ca.1859) and also studied at the Lowell Institute
Lowell Institute
The Lowell Institute is an educational foundation in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., providing for free public lectures, and endowed by the bequest of $250,000 left by John Lowell, Jr., who died in 1836. Under the terms of his will 10% of the net income was to be added to the principal, which in...
. As part of his training he "drew from the antique at the Athenaeum." He travelled in Europe in the 1860s, studying at "the atelier Suisse, in Paris, and ... with [Léon] Bonnat
Léon Bonnat
Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat was a French painter.He was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 he lived in Madrid, where his father owned a bookshop. While tending his father's shop, he copied engravings of works by the Old Masters, developing a passion for drawing...
and other noted French painters" (1865).
In the 1870s "there is no doubt that Smith, [Albion Harris] Bicknell, [Thomas] Robinson, Cole, [William Morris] Hunt
William Morris Hunt
William Morris Hunt , American painter, was born at Brattleboro, Vermont to Jane Maria Hunt and Hon. Jonathan Hunt, who raised one of the preeminent families in American art...
, Waterman, and, later on, [Frederic Porter] Vinton
Frederic Porter Vinton
Frederic Porter Vinton , sometimes spelled "Frederick", was an American portrait painter from Bangor, Maine. He grew up in Chicago, and moved to Boston in 1861 For twenty years he worked as a bookkeeper, during which he studied art under William Rimmer at the Lowell Institute...
, and one or two others, had pretty much the swing of art in Boston for several years. ... They were constantly together, working like brothers in the cause. ... Smith, Robinson, and Hunt used to paint a great deal together; in fact, they formed a triumvirate club to 'sass one another's pictures,' as Hunt termed it."
In 1880 New York's "Union League Club ... contracted with John La Farge, Frank Hill Smith, Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Augustus Saint-Gaudens was the Irish-born American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who most embodied the ideals of the "American Renaissance"...
, and Will H. Low
Will Hicok Low
Will Hicok Low was a United States artist and writer on art.-Biography:He was born at Albany, New York. In 1873 he entered the atelier of Jean-Léon Gérôme in the École des Beaux Arts at Paris, subsequently joining the classes of Carolus-Duran, with whom he remained until 1877...
to undertake decoration of ... areas in [its] new building." In 1886 Smith was "working on the plans of a Casino, to be erected in Green Bay, Florida. The designs are drawn in a broad, artistic manner, and are the most extensive for comfort and elegance of any known in this country. It is estimated that it will require $350,000 to erect and finish the structure."
Around this time he designed a cottage intended for Walt Whitman; it was never built. He painted an "elegant drop curtain" for the Fairhaven Town Hall auditorium, in Massachusetts, ca.1894. Smith also painted ceiling frescoes in the Representatives Hall in the Massachusetts State House
Massachusetts State House
The Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the "New" State House, is the state capitol and house of government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is located in Boston in the neighborhood Beacon Hill...
, depicting portraits of Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams was an American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As a politician in colonial Massachusetts, Adams was a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and was one of the architects of the principles of American...
, John Hancock
John Hancock
John Hancock was a merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...
, James Otis
James Otis, Jr.
James Otis, Jr. was a lawyer in colonial Massachusetts, a member of the Massachusetts provincial assembly, and an early advocate of the political views that led to the American Revolution. The phrase "Taxation without Representation is Tyranny" is usually attributed to him...
and Joseph Warren
Joseph Warren
Dr. Joseph Warren was an American doctor who played a leading role in American Patriot organizations in Boston in early days of the American Revolution, eventually serving as president of the revolutionary Massachusetts Provincial Congress...
.
In Boston's Beacon Hill, he lived in the Sunflower House on the corner of River and Mt. Vernon Streets. A local newspaper described it:
One of the things to see here is the house of Mr. Frank Hill Smith, the artist. He has transformed an old wooden building at the corner of Mt. Vernon and River Streets into the most attractive and picturesque place in the city. ... The upper story and roof are tiled, the windows are abundant and pretty; on the front of the large gable in the roof is a huge sunflowerSunflowerSunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
in high relief; below it, on the upper story, is a winged lion in relief; over the front door is a course of grotesque, open carving; the whole is painted yellow, and is so attractive that people who love light and sunshine hover about it like moths round a candle. There is nothing in New England in the least like it; and Mr. FieldsJames Thomas FieldsJames Thomas Fields was an American publisher, editor, and poet.-Early life and family:He was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on December 31, 1817 and named James Field; the family later added the "s". His father was a sea captain and died before Fields was three...
did it no more than justice when he brought it into his lecture on Cheerfulness, a day or two ago, with a hearty compliment to its originality, and its cheering influence.
Smith exhibited works in the Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
in Copley Square (1877) and Williams & Everett
Williams & Everett
Williams & Everett in Boston, Massachusetts, was an art dealership run by Henry Dudley Williams and William Everett. The firm sold original artworks by American and European artists, as well as "photographs and carbon-pictures of eminent persons, noted places, and famous paintings." It also...
's gallery (ca. 1877). He belonged to Boston's St. Botolph Club. He also acted as a judge in the 1876 U.S. Centennial Exhibition
Centennial Exposition
The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. It was officially...
in Philadelphia. Around the 1880s he served on the "Permanent Committee of the School of Drawing and Painting of the Museum of Fine Arts
School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is an undergraduate and graduate college located in Boston, Massachusetts, dedicated to the visual arts. It is affiliated with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in partnership with Tufts University...
," Boston.
His descendants included artist Fannie Hillsmith
Fannie Hillsmith
Fannie Hillsmith was an American cubist painter.-Personal life:Fannie Hillsmith was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1911. Her grandfather was a painter, as well as one of the founders of the Boston Museum School. Hillsmith would attend in the Boston Museum School for four years.Hillsmith married...
.
Designs by Smith
- Young's HotelYoung's Hotel (Boston)Young's Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, was located on Court Street in the Financial District, in a building designed by William Washburn. George Young established the business, later taken over by Joseph Reed Whipple and George G. Hall. Guests at Young's included Mark Twain, Elizabeth Cady...
, Boston - Union League Club of New YorkUnion League Club of New YorkThe Union League Club of New York is a private social club in New York City. Its fourth and current clubhouse, which opened on February 2, 1931, is a building designed by Benjamin Wistar Morris, III, located at 38 East 37th Street between Madison and Park Avenue in the Murray Hill section of...
Club-House interior, ca.1881 (5th Ave. and 39th St.) - House, Falmouth, Massachusetts, ca.1886
- Casino, Green Bay, Florida, 1886
- Cafe, Dunderberg Mount, New York, ca.1890
- Massachusetts State HouseMassachusetts State HouseThe Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the "New" State House, is the state capitol and house of government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is located in Boston in the neighborhood Beacon Hill...
Representatives Hall frescoes, Boston, 1894 - Opera House, Holyoke, Massachusetts
- Cottage intended for Walt Whitman (not built)
- Union Club, Chicago
- Christ Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Puritan steamer ship, Old Colony Steamboat Co.
Further reading
- Fay, John William; Linen, Herbert M.; Dearborn, L.E. The Cyclopædia of American Biography, Volume 5. 1915.
- Champlin, John Denison and Perkins, Charles Callahan. Cyclopædia of painters and paintings, Volume 4. Charles Scribner's SonsCharles Scribner's SonsCharles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
, 1913. - Fenno-Gendrot. Artists I Have Known. Boston: Warren Press, March 1923.
- Fielding, Mantle. Mantle Fielding's Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers. New York: J.F. Carr, 1965.
- Robinson, Frank Torrey. Living New England Artists: Biographical sketches, reproductions of original drawings and paintings by each artist. Boston: S. E. Cassino, 1888.
- Waters, Clara Erskine and Hutton, Laurence. Artists of the 19th Century and Their Works: A handbook containing two thousand and fifty biographical sketches. Volume 2. Boston: Houghton, Osgood, 1879.
External links
- Google news archive. Articles related to F. Hill Smith