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St. Paul’s, A Rainy Day in London (The Orange Seller) by Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith

Artwork by Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith, St. Paul’s, A Rainy Day in London (The Orange Seller)

F.M. Bell-Smith
St. Paul’s, A Rainy Day in London (The Orange Seller)

watercolour
signed lower right
17.5 x 9 ins ( 44.5 x 22.9 cms )

Auction Estimate: $5,000.00$3,000.00 - $5,000.00

Price Realized $3,680.00
Sale date: November 22nd 2016

Provenance:
Private Collection, Winnipeg
Sitting on Ludgate Hill, the highest point of The City east of central London, St. Paul’s Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London. Industrial reform of the nineteenth century transformed both the church itself and the surrounding industry within The City. Between 1710 and 1962, the Cathedral was the tallest building in London, with legislation put in place to ensure that no surrounding structure should obstruct the view of the Cathedral across London. In the period of Bell-Smith’s rendering of this architectural mainstay, St. Paul’s was a touchstone of national identity and resilience having been rebuilt numerous times since it’s consecration in 604 CE. Continuing to be the banking centre of London, The City—the original ancient Roman jurisdiction of London—is a bustling borough of finance and industry, with some of the world’s tallest and architecturally progressive skyscrapers.

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Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith
(1846 - 1923) OSA RCA

Current SalesHighlightsWatch Artist

Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith (1846-1923) was born in London, England and died in Toronto, Ontario. His earliest training was under his artist father. He attended the South Kensington School of Art under Alexander Hamilton until his family emigrated to Montreal, Quebec in 1867. Later, he studied in Paris at the Academie Colarossi under Joseph-Paul Blanc, Gustave Courtois, and Edmond-Louis Dupain. The artist arrived in London, Ontario in 1881 where he was appointed Art Director of Alma College (St.Thomas) and, the following year, Drawing Master at Central Public School. In 1888 he moved to Toronto where he was named principal of the western branch of the Toronto Art School. He continued to serve at Alma College until 1901. Bell-Smith was a founding member of the Society of Canadian Artists, the Ontario Society of Artists, and the Western Art League. He was elected an Academician in the Royal Canadian Academy and played important roles in many local and national artistic associations. His work was very popular in his lifetime: he painted portrait, genre, and landscape subjects in both oil and watercolour in the impressionistic, picturesque, and sublime styles of the last century. Bell-Smith also won many international honors in his career.