Stephen Catterson Smith facts for kids
Stephen Catterson Smith (born March 12, 1806 – died May 30, 1872) was a talented English artist. He was famous for painting portraits of people. He also became the president of the Royal Hibernian Academy, which is an important art organization in Ireland.
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About Stephen Catterson Smith
His Early Life and Art Training
Stephen Catterson Smith was born in Skipton, a town in North Yorkshire, England, in 1806. His father, Joseph Smith, was also an artist who painted coaches. When Stephen was young, his family moved to Kingston upon Hull.
Around the age of 16, Stephen moved to London to study art. He got into the schools of the Royal Academy, a famous art institution. He did very well there and later continued his studies in Paris, France.
Becoming a Portrait Artist
Stephen first became known for his amazing skill in drawing portraits using black chalk. Many of these drawings were later made into prints called lithographs by another artist, Richard James Lane. Stephen even drew portraits for important people like the Duchess of Kent, who was the mother of Queen Victoria. He also drew Queen Victoria herself when she was still a princess, and the King of Hanover.
After some time, he moved to Yeovil in Somersetshire for a few years. But he returned to London around 1838 and showed some of his painted portraits at the Royal Academy.
Moving to Ireland and Success
Around 1840, Stephen Catterson Smith received requests to paint portraits in Ireland. This led him to move there, first to Derry and then to Dublin. He spent the rest of his life in Dublin. He quickly became the official Portrait Painter to the Lord Lieutenant, who was the King or Queen's representative in Ireland. He held this important job for almost 30 years.
In Dublin, Stephen became the most popular portrait painter of his time. People thought he was very good at capturing how both men and women looked in his paintings. His style was similar to that of another famous artist, Sir Thomas Lawrence. Almost every important person in Ireland had their portrait painted by Stephen during his career in Dublin. This included all the Lord Lieutenants of Ireland for three decades. In 1854, he painted a full-length portrait of Queen Victoria for the city council of Dublin. Many of his portraits were later made into engravings.
Leadership in the Art World
Stephen Catterson Smith was chosen to be an associate member of the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts in 1844. He became a full member later that same year. He was then elected president of the Academy in 1859 and held this position until 1864. He was re-elected president in 1868 but only for a few months. In 1868, he was also made the Director of the National Gallery of Ireland, a major art museum. He continued to paint until he passed away suddenly in Dublin on May 20, 1872.
His Family
In 1845, Stephen Catterson Smith married Anne Wyke. She was the daughter of Robert Titus Wyke, an English artist, and she was also a miniature-painter herself. Stephen and Anne had ten children: six sons and four daughters. Two of their sons, Stephen Catterson Smith (who also became a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy) and Robert Catterson Smith, followed in their parents' footsteps and became artists too.
