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William Mather Smith
ca. 1810
Archibald Robertson
Born: Moneymusk, Scotland 1765
Died: New York, New York 1835
watercolor on ivory
3 x 2 1/4 in. (7.6 x 5.8 cm) oval, irregular
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund
1944.7.2
Smithsonian American Art Museum
3rd Floor,
Luce Foundation Center
William Mather Smith (1787-1864) was the only son of Connecticut governor and congressman John Cotton Smith (1765-1845), of Sharon, Connecticut. William was a precocious boy, entering Yale at the age of twelve and graduating in the class of 1805. A lay preacher, Smith founded one of the nation’s first Sunday schools, which he ran for fifty years. He also conducted services in the Sharon church for three decades. This miniature was painted the year Smith married Helen Livingston, and was probably to commemorate that milestone in his life. Her miniature, painted by an unknown artist, is also in this collection [see 1944.7.3].
For more information about this work visit the Luce Foundation Center.
Keywords
Portrait male - Smith, William Mather - bust
painting - miniature
paint - watercolor
ivory
About Archibald Robertson
Born: Moneymusk, Scotland 1765 Died: New York, New York 1835
More works in the collection by
Archibald Robertson
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