Francis Hopkinson Smith

American writer, artist, and engineer (1838–1915)

For other people with similar names, see Francis Smith.

Francis Hopkinson Smith

Smith, c. 1903

Born| (1838-10-23)October 23, 1838

Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

Died| April 7, 1915(1915-04-07) (aged 76)

New York City, New York, U.S.

Nationality| American
Occupation(s)| Writer, artist, engineer
Known for| Constructing the foundation of the Statue of Liberty
Spouse|

Josephine Van Deventer

(m. 1866)​

Signature
In the Woods by Francis Hopkinson Smith

Francis Hopkinson Smith (October 23, 1838 – April 7, 1915) was an American author, artist, and engineer. He built the foundation for the Statue of Liberty, wrote numerous stories, and received recognition for his paintings.

Smith was the great-uncle of American architect, author, and photographer G. E. Kidder Smith (1913–1997).

## Biography

[edit]

A Grand Harmonicon, a musical instrument invented by Smith, consisting of musical glasses in a wooden stand.[1]

Francis Hopkinson Smith was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 23, 1838. He was a descendant of Francis Hopkinson, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.[2]

He graduated from the Boys' Latin School of Maryland. In 1914, he argued against African American suffrage, stating that the solution to racial issues would be a return to plantation-era ways.[3]

Smith became a contractor in New York City and worked extensively for the federal government. His projects included the stone ice-breaker at Bridgeport, Connecticut, the jetties at the mouth of the Connecticut River, the foundation for the Bartholdi Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, the Race Rock Lighthouse (southwest of Fishers Island, New York), and numerous life-saving stations.

During his vacations, Smith traveled widely and sketched landscapes in the White Mountains, Cuba, and Mexico. He also visited and painted scenes from Venice, Constantinople, and the Netherlands.[4]

On April 26, 1866, he married Josephine Van Deventer.[2]

Smith’s first popular book was Col. Carter of Cartersville (1891). His 1896 novel Tom Grogan and 1898 novel Caleb West were each the best-selling book in the United States in their respective years of publication.

On March 1, 1915, Smith wrote to the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, regarding a collection of fifteen of his original paintings that were to be exhibited at the club from June 8 to June 26, 1915. It was his first venture to the American West.[5][6]

Smith died at his home in New York City on April 7, 1915.[7]

## Selected bibliography

[edit]

He illustrated and published numerous travelogues, including:

* Old Lines in New Black and White (1885)
* Well-Worn Roads (1886)
* A White Umbrella in Mexico (1889)
* Gondola Days (1897)
* The Venice of To-Day (1897)

His novels and short stories are especially felicitous in their portrayal of the Old South. Among them are:

* Col. Carter of Cartersville (1891), which was successfully dramatized
* A Day at La Guerre's and other Days (1892)
* A Gentleman Vagabond and Some Others (1895)(short stories)
* Tom Grogan (1896)
* Caleb West (1898)
* The Other Fellow (1899) (short story collection, including "A Kentucky Cinderella" which was adapted to film in 1917 and 1921)
* The Fortunes of Oliver Horn (1902), which has reminiscences of his artist friends
* The Under Dog (1903) (collection of 13 short stories)[8]
* Col. Carter's Christmas (1904)
* At Close Range (1905)
* The Tides of Barnegat (1906)
* The Veiled Lady (1907)
* The Romance of an Old Fashioned Gentleman (1907)
* Peter (1908)
* Forty Minutes Late and Other Stories (1909)[4]
* Kennedy Square (1911)
* The Arm-chair at The Inn (Charles Scribner's Sons) (1912)
* In Thackeray's London: Pictures and Text (Doubleday, Page & Co.) (1913)[9]
* In Dickens' London (1914).[10]
* Felix O'Day (1915)
* Enoch Crane (1916) (completed by F. Berkeley Smith)

## Selected filmography

[edit]

* Kennedy Square, directed by S. Rankin Drew (1916, based on the novel Kennedy Square)
* The Tides of Barnegat, directed by Marshall Neilan (1917, based on the novel The Tides of Barnegat)
* A Kentucky Cinderella, directed by Rupert Julian (1917, based on the short story A Kentucky Cinderella)
* Felix O'Day, directed by Robert Thornby (1920, based on the novel Felix O'Day)
* Deep Waters, directed by Maurice Tourneur (1920, based on the novel Caleb West)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ La Rocca, Lynda (February 5, 2011). "Musical glasses produce grand sound". The Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
2. ^ a b Johnson, Rossiter; Brown, John Howard, eds. (1904). The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Vol. IX. Boston: The Biographical Society. Retrieved May 28, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
3. ^ "Francis Hopkinson Smith argues against African American suffrage 1914". Brooklyn Eagle. February 26, 1914. p. 2. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
4. ^ a b Chisholm 1911.
5. ^ "Arts and Crafts Club Scrapbook". Carmel Arts and Crafts Club. Carmel-by-the-Sea. 1915. p. 30.
6. ^ "F. Hopkinson Smith (letterhead)". New York. March 1, 1915. p. 30.
7. ^ "F. Hopkinson Smith, Author-Artist, Dies; Engineer Who Built Foundation for the Statue of Liberty Expires at 76. Created 'Colonel Carter' His Many Famous Stories Include "Caleb West, Master Diver". Received Awards for His Paintings". The New York Times. April 8, 1915. p. 13. Retrieved May 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ (June 20, 1903). Hopkinson Smith's New Story, The New York Times
9. ^ "Review of In Thackeray's London by F. Hopkinson Smith". The Athenaeum (4495): 722. December 20, 1913.
10. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1922). "Smith, Francis Hopkinson" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 32 (12th ed.). London & New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Company. p. 500.

Attribution:

*  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Smith, Francis Hopkinson". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 260.

## External links

[edit]

English Wikisource has original works by or about:

Francis Hopkinson Smith

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Francis Hopkinson Smith.

* Works by Francis Hopkinson Smith at Project Gutenberg
* Works by F. Hopkinson Smith at Faded Page (Canada)
* Works by or about Francis Hopkinson Smith at the Internet Archive
* Works by Francis Hopkinson Smith at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
* Francis Hopkinson Smith exhibition catalogs
* Artwork by Francis Hopkinson Smith

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Novels by Francis Hopkinson Smith

* Tom Grogan (1896)
* Caleb West (1898)
* Peter (1908)
* Felix O'Day (1915)

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