Charles Smith (artist) facts for kids

Charles Smith (born November 7, 1749 – died December 19, 1824) was a talented Scottish artist. He started his career painting portraits of people. Later, he also created art about myths and imaginative, whimsical ideas.

Charles Smith: A Scottish Artist

Early Life and Artistic Start

Charles Smith was born on November 7, 1749, in Stenness, a place on the Orkney Isles in Scotland. His father was William Smith. His mother, Charlotte Whitefoord, was the sister of Caleb Whitefoord, who was a diplomat and wrote funny political stories.

Charles went to the Royal Academy Schools to study art. After his studies, he moved to London to become an artist. He learned from a well-known artist named J. H. Mortimer. In 1776, Charles showed three of his portraits at the Society of Artists. However, he had very strong beliefs, which he sometimes expressed loudly. This might have limited how much work he got.

Adventures in India

In 1783, Charles Smith decided to leave England and travel to India. He was inspired by another artist, Tilly Kettle, who had also gone there. Charles traveled a lot in India. He met the nawab (a ruler) of Oudh through John Macpherson. Macpherson was the governor-general at that time.

Charles also spent time in cities like Calcutta, Madras, and Lucknow. He probably visited Delhi too. It's thought that he might have painted the Mughal emperor, Shah Alam II, there. Lucknow was a very active place for artists during that period.

Challenges for Artists Abroad

Many portrait artists, like Charles, were encouraged to go to India by the first governor-general, Warren Hastings. But by the time Charles, Johann Zoffany, and other painters arrived, the art market was struggling. The leaders who came after Hastings, like Macpherson, were not as interested in helping artists.

Many artists found it hard to get paid for their work. Their style of painting was also different from the local Indian styles. They often showed people in a less flattering way. Also, the idea of having portraits painted was becoming less new and exciting for the local rulers.

Another artist, William Baillie, was jealous of Charles. He wrote a sarcastic letter about how hard it was for artists to make money. He said, "What inducement has he to paint for money?" Charles probably did better than some other artists because his family had connections with important politicians and people from the British East India Company.

Back in Europe and New Ventures

After leaving India in 1787, Charles Smith lived in London and Edinburgh between 1789 and 1797. He showed his art at the Royal Academy. In 1798, he had a musical play performed at the Covent Garden Theatre.

This musical play, called A Day at Rome, was not very popular. Charles then published it to show his protest. A magazine called the Analytical Review wrote about it. They said Charles was a bit upset that his play didn't do well. He hoped that by publishing it, he wouldn't lose any more fame. The magazine was surprised the play was treated so badly. They thought it had everything needed for a big cheer, like a Scottish person speaking with a strong accent and an Irish person making funny mistakes.

It's also likely that Charles earned money by making copies of other artists' paintings. For example, William Brummell, whose son was the famous Beau Brummell, owned a copy of a painting by Joshua Reynolds. Reynolds himself could barely tell it apart from his original work!

A Return to India and Later Life

Charles Smith returned to India and worked there from 1800 to 1811. In 1802, he published another musical play called A Trip to Bengal. This play had two acts and was dedicated to Macpherson. Charles did this to thank Macpherson for his kindness in the past.

This play was described as an opera and was also performed at Covent Garden. It featured a sad, traditional Urdu song called Dil ne danne lea re as its main part.

Charles Smith passed away in Leith, Scotland, on December 19, 1824.