Artwork by Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith,  River Landscape; Portrait of a Girl

F.M. Bell-Smith
River Landscape; Portrait of a Girl

double-sided oil on board
signed lower right; “Portrait of a Girl” on the reverse; unframed
5.25 x 8.5 ins ( 13.3 x 21.6 cms ) ( card )

Auction Estimate: $700.00$500.00 - $700.00

Price Realized $1,062.00
Sale date: September 29th 2020

Provenance:
Family of the artist
By descent to the present Private Collection, Ontario

Share this item with your friends

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

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.