Sir Cecil Harcourt Smith
Encyclopedia
Sir Cecil Harcourt Smith KCVO (1859–1944) was an archaeologist and a British museum director.
, Middlesex, he was the second son of William Smith, solicitor, and his wife, Harriet, daughter of Frederic Harcourt, of Ipswich. He went to Winchester College (1873-8) as a scholar. In 1879 He joined the department of Roman and Greek antiquities in the British Museum
. He soon became known as a rising archaeologist, and in 1887 was a founder editor and contributor to the Classical Review.
In 1887 he was attached to the diplomatic mission in Persia. In 1892 he married Alice Edith, daughter of HW Watson of Burnopfield, Co. Durham. They had two sons Simon and Gilbert.
From 1895 to 1897 he was granted special leave to take up the directorship of the British School
in Athens. The school had just received an annual grant from the Treasury and was able to extend its activities. Harcourt-Smith enhanced the prestige of the school and instituted its 'Annual'. He also began the school's excavations in the island of Melos, which contributed much to the knowledge of Aegean civilisations. While in Athens, Harcourt-Smith was promoted to assistant keeper of his department at the British Museum.
, set up to look into the collections of applied art at South Kensington that had been purchased by the government after the Great Exhibition of 1851. His report was so highly approved of that he was offered the post of director and secretary under the new organization, and in 1909 he accepted the appointment. The newly completed building gave scope for a more orderly display of the collections; the administration of the museum and its staff was set upon more modern lines, and the objects were grouped according to their material rather than, as in many great museums, by nationality or period. This method of grouping objects lasted until the evacuation of 1939 when they were grouped chronologically by Sir Leigh Ashton.
Harcourt-Smith remained at the Victoria and Albert Museum until his retirement in 1924. During this time he introduced many improvements.He raised the status of the technical staff and negotiated for them the same rank and pay as the officials of the British Museum. He added students' rooms to all departments, and a steady stream of catalogues and guides was begun. Official guide lecturers were instituted and sponsored special exhibitions such as the Franco-British Exhibition of 1921 were introduced. It was under his directorship that the museum acquired the Salting
collection, the Rodin
sculptures (now transferred to the Tate Gallery
), the Talbot Hughes
collection of costumes, the Alma Tadema library, the Le Blon Korean pottery and the Pierpoint Morgan
stained glass.
. He played a leading part in the foundation of the Central Committee for the Care of Churches, he was chairman of the committee of the Incorporated Church Building Society, and vice-chairman of the British Institute of Industrial Art and the British Society of Master Glass Painters
. He was also vice-president of the Hellenic Society
, president of the Society of Civil Servants and British representative on the International Office of Museums. He was an honorary member of the British Drama League and an honorary associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects
.
As well as contributing to many of the British Museum
departmental catalogues, he wrote for the art journals and also published a number of monographs: 'The Collection of J Pierpont Morgan
' (1913), 'The Art Treasures of the Nation' (1929), and 'The Society of the Dilettanti: it's Regalia and Pictures' (1932).
He was knighted in 1909, appointed CVO in 1917, and advanced to KCVO in 1934.
He died on 27 March 1944.
Early years
Born on 11 September 1859 in StainesStaines
Staines is a Thames-side town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and Greater London Urban Area, as well as the London Commuter Belt of South East England. It is a suburban development within the western bounds of the M25 motorway and located 17 miles west south-west of Charing Cross in...
, Middlesex, he was the second son of William Smith, solicitor, and his wife, Harriet, daughter of Frederic Harcourt, of Ipswich. He went to Winchester College (1873-8) as a scholar. In 1879 He joined the department of Roman and Greek antiquities in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. He soon became known as a rising archaeologist, and in 1887 was a founder editor and contributor to the Classical Review.
In 1887 he was attached to the diplomatic mission in Persia. In 1892 he married Alice Edith, daughter of HW Watson of Burnopfield, Co. Durham. They had two sons Simon and Gilbert.
From 1895 to 1897 he was granted special leave to take up the directorship of the British School
British School at Athens
The British School at Athens is one of the 17 Foreign Archaeological Institutes in Athens, Greece.-General information:The School was founded in 1886 as the fourth such institution in Greece...
in Athens. The school had just received an annual grant from the Treasury and was able to extend its activities. Harcourt-Smith enhanced the prestige of the school and instituted its 'Annual'. He also began the school's excavations in the island of Melos, which contributed much to the knowledge of Aegean civilisations. While in Athens, Harcourt-Smith was promoted to assistant keeper of his department at the British Museum.
Director and Secretary of the Victoria and Albert Museum
In 1908 Harcourt-Smith became chairman of a commission of the Victoria and Albert MuseumVictoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, set up to look into the collections of applied art at South Kensington that had been purchased by the government after the Great Exhibition of 1851. His report was so highly approved of that he was offered the post of director and secretary under the new organization, and in 1909 he accepted the appointment. The newly completed building gave scope for a more orderly display of the collections; the administration of the museum and its staff was set upon more modern lines, and the objects were grouped according to their material rather than, as in many great museums, by nationality or period. This method of grouping objects lasted until the evacuation of 1939 when they were grouped chronologically by Sir Leigh Ashton.
Harcourt-Smith remained at the Victoria and Albert Museum until his retirement in 1924. During this time he introduced many improvements.He raised the status of the technical staff and negotiated for them the same rank and pay as the officials of the British Museum. He added students' rooms to all departments, and a steady stream of catalogues and guides was begun. Official guide lecturers were instituted and sponsored special exhibitions such as the Franco-British Exhibition of 1921 were introduced. It was under his directorship that the museum acquired the Salting
George Salting
George Salting was an Australian-born British art collector of pictures and many other categories of art, whose works were left to the National Gallery, London, Victoria & Albert Museum and British Museum.-Early life:...
collection, the Rodin
Auguste Rodin
François-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
sculptures (now transferred to the Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
), the Talbot Hughes
Talbot Hughes
Talbot Hughes was a British painter , a collector of historical costumes and miniature portraits, and writer on fine art and costume design...
collection of costumes, the Alma Tadema library, the Le Blon Korean pottery and the Pierpoint Morgan
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier, banker and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. In 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric...
stained glass.
Other Offices
A year after his retirement Harcourt-Smith was appointed advisor for the Royal Art Collections and from 1928 until 1936 he was also Surveyor of the Royal Works of ArtSurveyor of the Queen's Works of Art
The office of Surveyor of the King's/Queen's Works of Art in the Royal Collection Department of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom is responsible for the care and maintenance of the royal collection of works of art owned by the Sovereign in an official capacity — as...
. He played a leading part in the foundation of the Central Committee for the Care of Churches, he was chairman of the committee of the Incorporated Church Building Society, and vice-chairman of the British Institute of Industrial Art and the British Society of Master Glass Painters
British Society of Master Glass Painters
The British Society of Master Glass Painters , founded in 1921, is a British trade association for the art and craft of stained glass. It promotes the trade, encourages high standards in the art and craft of glass painting and staining, and acts as a locus for the exchange of information and ideas...
. He was also vice-president of the Hellenic Society
Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies
The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, known as the Hellenic Society, was founded in 1879 to advance the study of Greek language, literature, history, art and archaeology in the Ancient, Byzantine and Modern periods....
, president of the Society of Civil Servants and British representative on the International Office of Museums. He was an honorary member of the British Drama League and an honorary associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
.
As well as contributing to many of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
departmental catalogues, he wrote for the art journals and also published a number of monographs: 'The Collection of J Pierpont Morgan
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier, banker and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. In 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric...
' (1913), 'The Art Treasures of the Nation' (1929), and 'The Society of the Dilettanti: it's Regalia and Pictures' (1932).
He was knighted in 1909, appointed CVO in 1917, and advanced to KCVO in 1934.
He died on 27 March 1944.