Design and Art Australia Online

marine painter, portraitist, teacher and master mariner, was born in London, the second son of Captain John Smith RN and his wife Ann, sister of Elizabeth, wife of Captain James Cook from whom Smith inherited many relics and whose surname he sometimes included in his signature. His obituary states that Smith 'showed himself to be an artist almost from infancy, delighting his friends with his juvenile abilities at the early age of seven’. His English work includes a portrait of his mother’s cousin Isaac Smith , reproduced in Isaac Selby’s The Old Pioneers’ Memorial History of Melbourne (Melbourne 1924).

After serving in many ships, some of them whaling vessels, Smith joined the Vansittart under Captain Prince in 1837. By 1839 he was at Launceston, Van Diemen’s Land, where he became master of the Government Buoy Boat on the Tamar River but soon reverted to 'engaging in the practice of his favourite art’. In January 1848 while the first exhibition of pictures was on display in the Cornwall Assembly Rooms, Launceston, Smith gave a lecture on 'the principles of the Art of Painting, as illustrated by the pictures in the exhibition’. The Launceston Examiner stated that 'the audience appeared gratified and could scarcely fail to be instructed by the observations of the lecturer, who is a successful amateur, and an enthusiastic admirer of the art’. Soon afterwards, Smith set up as a professional portrait painter with a studio at the corner of Tamar and Brisbane Streets.

Marine interests were not, however, abandoned. Around this time Smith built the yacht Rory O’More 'which was famous in the early days of regattas on the Tamar, and with her carried off numerous prizes’. At the Independent Chapel on 15 February 1843, James Smith married Ann Elizabeth, second daughter of Susannah and William Capon . A son and five daughters were born (perhaps including Jane Smith, later the wife of Gracius Broinowski ).

In October 1849 Smith, as proprietor, exhibited a Moving Panorama of London from Old Thames , which he had painted with Philip Barnes . It was shown again in April 1850, Smith having added some Tasmanian scenes to the entertainment in the interim. Another local reference was added in July: a diorama, complete with flames, of a recent fire at a Launceston hotel. Smith then took the panorama to Melbourne and exhibited it in November-December 1850, claiming in the Argus that his 'nearly 6000 feet [sic] of painted canvas’ had been publicly commended by Governor Denison. He announced in the same advertisement that he would be 'happy to execute commissions in marine portraiture’. Although complemented with views of Hobart, Launceston and 'a view of Loch Katrine, and the Cathedral of San Isidoro, Madrid seen by daylight and then lit up for the celebrations of solemn mass’, the entertainment does not appear to have been a great success (see Colligan 44).

Back at Launceston in March 1851 he exhibited a view of George Town at the Launceston Exhibition and was called one of the artists 'long resident in this town’. He had, however, returned to Melbourne by May when the Melbourne Daily News noted his recent arrival and praised his 'admirable [oil] paintings of colonial vessels and scenery’ as well as his 'speaking likenesses in miniature’. His portraits of the ships Raven and Swift were on view at Hatch’s store in Collins Street, Melbourne. The same panorama – perhaps with further improvements – was again shown in December 1852, this time at the Melbourne Temperance Hall. Once more the readers of the Argus were reminded that Governor Denison had 'highly praised the drawing and perspective of the picture’ and the panorama – now described as a more realistic ’2,000 ft [609 m] of canvass’ – was judged 'a really splendid affair’

...most truthful and complete in its representations, depicting with the exactest nicety every object from the new Houses of Parliament to Greenwich Hospital … the panorama is a moving one, and each place of note was well and graphically described by the proprietor as it came before the spectator … Altogether, we regret Mr. Smith has not a more central and popular place to exhibit his beautiful representation. We would suggest the Mechanics Hall [which Smith had used in 1850] as a more suitable exhibition room.

J. Smith exhibited three paintings with the Victorian Fine Arts Society in August 1853. Since all were of ships ( The Schooner Deborah off Farm Cove, Sydney , The Schooner in a Gale and The Argyle Hulk, in Hobson’s Bay ) it seems likely that the artist was James Smith. Three years later, one J.C. Smith (almost certainly James Cook) of 130 Russell Street, Melbourne, showed his oil View of River Mijecote, Honduras at the 1856 Victorian Exhibition of Art. An unfinished view of Launceston taken near the hospital shown at the 1865 Launceston Exhibition of Paintings was certainly his. In 1867 he painted several of the transparencies displayed on city buildings to celebrate the Duke of Edinburgh’s visit to Melbourne.

An invalid for six years, Smith died at West Melbourne on 19 September 1881; he was buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery. A slight but accomplished chalk and pastel portrait of Mr Driver of Launceston (in the wool trade) appears to be signed by Smith though the signature is now almost illegible (Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, 1839). His oil, Roseneath, Austin’s Ferry (c.1848), is on loan to Glenorchy City Hall. A youthful English sketchbook and a few later landscapes remain with descendants but no mainland oil paintings have been located.

Writers:

Staff Writer

Date written:

1992

Last updated:

2011