John Rubens Smith

John Rubens Smith
Self-portrait, c. 1817
Born	January 23, 1775 London, England
Died	August 21, 1849(1849-08-21) (aged 74) New York City, United States

John Rubens Smith (January 23, 1775 – August 21, 1849) was a London-born painter, printmaker and art instructor who worked in the United States.

Biography

Smith was born in London where he first studied art with his father, John Raphael Smith, a mezzotint engraver. Smith later studied art at the Royal Academy.

Young's Mill on Brandywine Creek

Smith emigrated to New York City from London about 1807. He depicted the United States in the decades before photography, and influenced a generation of American artists through his drawing academies and drawing manuals. He died in New York City.

Merchants Hotel, North 4th Street in Philadelphia

His son John Rowson Smith (1810–1864) was a moving panorama painter who worked with Richard Risley Carlisle.

Works

Guann's near Fort Smith, Brooklyn

• The juvenile drawing-book (1844)

Gallery

• 
  Beacon Hill, Boston
• 
  Catskill Mountain-House
• 
  Officer from First Troop, Philadelphia

References

• John Rubens Smith biography at the Library of Congress website (visited June 21, 2010)
• John Rubens Smith Created Pictorial Record of Early America at the Library of Congress website (visited June 21, 2010)
• Vital data at printsandprintmaking.gov.au (visited June 21, 2010)

External links

• John Rubens Smith, New York, N.Y. letter to Asher Brown Durand, 1826 May 25 (visited June 21, 2010)