Brooklyn Museum - In the Woods - Francis Hopkinson Smith - overall

Francis Hopkinson Smith (October 23, 1838 – April 7, 1915) was an American author, artist and engineer. He built the foundation for the Statue of Liberty, wrote many stories and received awards for his paintings. F. Hopkinson Smith was the great uncle of American architect, author and photographer G. E. Kidder Smith (1913-1997).

Biography

Smith was born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

on October 23, 1838, a descendant of Francis Hopkinson, one of the signers of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

. He graduated from the

Boys' Latin School of Maryland Boys' Latin School of Maryland is an all-boys, university-preparatory school located in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1844, it is the oldest independent, nonsectarian secondary school in the state of Maryland. The school is divided into Lower, ...

. Smith became a contractor in New York City and did much work for the federal government, including the stone ice-breaker at Bridgeport, Connecticut, the jetties at the mouth of the Connecticut River, the foundation for the Bartholdi Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, the Race Rock Lighthouse (southwest of

Fishers Island Fishers Island (Pequot: ''Munnawtawkit'') is an island that is part of Southold, New York, United States at the eastern end of Long Island Sound, off the southeastern coast of Connecticut across Fishers Island Sound. About long and wide, it ...

, New York) and many life-saving stations. His vacations were spent sketching in the White Mountains, in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. He also visited and sketched in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

and the Netherlands. He married Josephine Van Deventer on April 26, 1866. His first popular book was ''Col. Carter of Cartersville'' (1891). His 1896 novel ''

Tom Grogan ''Tom Grogan'' is a novel published in 1896 by Francis Hopkinson Smith. It was the bestselling book in the United States in 1896 according to ''Publishers Weekly''. The novel was adapted into a play in 1896. An art print of the book cover is held ...

'' and 1898 novel '' Caleb West'' were each the best selling book in the United States in the year of their release. On March 1, 1915, Smith wrote the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California about his collection of fifteen original paintings being sent for a exhibition at the Club on June 8 to June 26, 1915. It was his first venture out West. He died at his home in New York City on April 7, 1915.

Selected bibliography

He illustrated and published numerous travelogues, including: *''Old Lines in New Black and White'' (1885) *''Well-Worn Roads'' (1886) *''A White Umbrella in Mexico'' (1889) *''Gondola Days'' (1897) *''The Venice of To-Day'' (1897) His novels and short stories are especially felicitous in their portrayal of the Old South. Among them are: *''Col. Carter of Cartersville'' (1891), which was successfully dramatized *''A Day at La Guerre's and other Days'' (1892) *''A Gentleman Vagabond and Some Others'' (1895)(short stories) *''

'' (1896) *'' Caleb West'' (1898) *''The Other Fellow'' (1899) (short story collection, including ''"A Kentucky Cinderella"'' which was adapted to film in 1917 and 1921) *''The Fortunes of Oliver Horn'' (1902), which has reminiscences of his artist friends *''The Under Dog'' (1903) (collection of 13 short stories)(June 20, 1903)
Hopkinson Smith's New Story
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' *''Col. Carter's Christmas'' (1904) *''At Close Range'' (1905) *''The Tides of Barnegat'' (1906) *''The Veiled Lady'' (1907) *''The Romance of an Old Fashioned Gentleman'' (1907) *''

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

'' (1908) *''Forty Minutes Late and Other Stories'' (1909) *''Kennedy Square'' (1911) * ''The Arm-chair at The Inn'' (Charles Scribner's Sons) (1912)
''In Thackeray's London: Pictures and Text''
(Doubleday, Page & Co.) (1913) * ''In Dickens' London'' (1914). * ''

Felix O'Day ''Felix O'Day'' is a lost 1920 silent film directed by Robert Thornby and starring H. B. Warner. The film was released through Pathé Exchange. It is based on a novel of the same name. Cast * H. B. Warner - Felix O'Day *Marguerite Snow - La ...

'' (1915) * ''Enoch Crane'' (1916) (completed by F. Berkeley Smith)

Selected filmography

*''

Kennedy Square ''Kennedy Square'' is a lost 1916 silent film historical drama directed by S. Rankin Drew and starring Antonio Moreno, Muriel Ostriche and Charles Kent. It was produced by the Vitagraph Company of America and released through V-L-S-E.''Pictori ...

'', directed by S. Rankin Drew (1916, based on the novel ''Kennedy Square'') *'' The Tides of Barnegat'', directed by Marshall Neilan (1917, based on the novel ''The Tides of Barnegat'') *'' A Kentucky Cinderella'', directed by

Rupert Julian Rupert Julian (born Thomas Percival Hayes; 25 January 1879 – 27 December 1943) was a New Zealand cinema actor, director, writer and producer. During his career, Julian directed 60 films and acted in over 90 films. He is best remembered for di ...

(1917, based on the short story ''A Kentucky Cinderella'') *''

'', directed by Robert Thornby (1920, based on the novel ''Felix O'Day'') *'' Deep Waters'', directed by Maurice Tourneur (1920, based on the novel '' Caleb West'')

References

Attribution: *

External links

* * * *
Francis Hopkinson Smith exhibition catalogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Francis Hopkinson 1838 births 1915 deaths 19th-century American novelists 20th-century American novelists American male novelists 19th-century American painters 19th-century American male artists American male painters 20th-century American painters 19th-century American male writers 20th-century American male writers American civil engineers 20th-century American male artists