William Collingwood Smith (10 December 1815

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

– 15 March 1887

Brixton Hill Brixton Hill is the name given to a section of road between Brixton and Streatham Hill in south London, England. Brixton Hill and Streatham Hill form part of the traditional main London to Brighton road (A23). The road follows the line of a ...

), was a British watercolourist. William's father William Smith worked for the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

and was a musician and amateur artist. William had no formal training in art, but had studied under James Duffield Harding. Initially he painted in oils, but later became a proficient watercolourist. In 1843 he became an Associate, and subsequently a Member, of the ''Society of Painters in Water Colours'' which later became the

Royal Watercolour Society The Royal Watercolour Society is a British institution of painters working in watercolours. The Society is a centre of excellence for water-based media on paper, which allows for a diverse and interesting range of approaches to the medium of wa ...

, serving as treasurer for some twenty years, and starting its Art Club. He also joined the New Society of Painters in Water Colours. Specialising in marine and river scenes, and sweeping landscapes, he turned out more than a thousand paintings and drawings. He travelled extensively in Britain and on the

Continent A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas t ...

, often painting scenes which had news interest. His images were often engraved and reproduced in the ''

Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication i ...

''. Shipping scenes he painted included

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, which took part in the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

. His first exhibition at the Royal Academy was in 1836 and his last in 1855, also exhibiting with the

and at the Suffolk Street Galleries. He enjoyed an outstanding reputation as a teacher so that his classes at Wyndham Lodge, 13 Brixton Hill, included not only amateurs, but also professionals, and military and naval officers.Humrich Fine Art
/ref> His works are to be found in numerous galleries, both public and private. His grave is in the

West Norwood Cemetery West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of ...

. He is buried there alongside his wife Louisa Triquet and his son William Harding Collingwood Smith who was also an artist.

References

Gallery

Image:William Collingwood Smith10.jpg Image:William Collingwood Smith08.jpg Image:William Collingwood Smith14.jpg Image:William Collingwood Smith15.jpg {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, William Collingwood 1815 births 1887 deaths 19th-century British painters British male painters Burials at West Norwood Cemetery 19th-century British male artists