Archives of American Art
Russell, Xanthus, and Mary Smith family papers
Smith family (Philadelphia, Pa.)
AAA.smitfami
Archival Resource Key
5.12 Linear feet
1793-1977
bulk 1826-1977
The Russell, Xanthus, and Mary Smith family papers comprise 5.12 linear feet and are dated 1793-1977, bulk 1826-1977. Correspondence, writings, artwork, financial records, printed material, miscellaneous items and photographs provide documentation of the lives and works of painter, illustrator and poet, Russell Smith, and his son, painter Xanthus Smith, and scattered documentation of the lives of his wife, painter and educator Mary Priscilla Smith, and daughter and painter Mary Russell Smith.
English
.
Provenance
The Smith family papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in 1978 and 1979 by Franklin R. Smith, a family descendent.
Alternative Forms Available
Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reels 2035-2040, and 2062 at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Processing Information
The Smith family papers were processed in 1981 and much of the collection was microfilmed on reels 2035-2040 and 2062. The papers were merged, arranged, and described by Catherine S. Gaines in 2006. Glass plate negatives were re-housed in 2015 with a grant provided by the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund.
Preferred Citation
Smith family papers, 1793-1977, bulk 1826-1977. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Restrictions on Access
The collection is partially microfilmed. Use of material not microfilmed requires an appointment.
Terms of Use
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Biographical Note
Russell Smith (1812-1896) was a native of Glasgow, Scotland whose family came to the United States in 1819 and settled near Pittsburgh. The Smith children were educated at home, and Russell showed an early interest in art. His first formal training in portraiture and landscape painting was in Pittsburgh under James Reid Lambdin. Around 1827, Smith began painting backdrops for theaters and within 6 years had achieved a national reputation for his theatrical painting. In 1835 he moved to Philadelphia to paint for the Walnut Street Theater, and soon received commissions to paint for theaters in Boston and Washington. Around this time, he also began writing poetry. Even while engaged in theatrical work, Smith continued to paint landscapes which were exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Artists' Fund Society of Philadelphia as early as 1834.
Russell Smith married Mary Priscilla Wilson, a flower painter and teacher of French and drawing, in 1838. By the 1840s, in addition to painting landscapes and theatrical backdrops, Smith was advertising his services as an "illustrator for lectures on various branches of natural science painted in distemper." He accompanied the scientific expeditions of geologists William Barton Rogers and Henry Darwin Rogers to Virginia and the Susquehanna and Juniata River valleys of Pennsylvania in 1844 and 1845 as an illustrator. During this period, Smith also traveled extensively in New Hampshire and upstate New York for summer painting expeditions. The Smiths traveled to Europe with their two children in 1851-1852, touring Wales, Scotland, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, London, and Paris. Smith visited major museums and private collections, as well as architectural attractions, making sketches and keeping detailed notes of the trip.
Smith continued painting landscapes well into old age, even though his long out of fashion works were rejected with increasing frequency by the juries of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He died in 1896.
Born in Milestown, Pennsylvania in 1819, Mary Priscilla Smith (1819-1874) studied at a female seminary in Germantown, Pennsylvania operated by noted educator William Russell (Russell Smith's uncle) in Germantown, Pennsylvania, and at Charles Picot's school in Philadelphia. She eventually became a teacher of French, drawing, and painting at the Picot school, and later taught at a school established by William Russell in Philadelphia.
At her husband's urging, Mary Priscilla Smith, already an accomplished flower painter, began painting figures and landscapes, and participated in exhibitions of the Artists' Fund Society exhibitions. After becoming a mother, she painted very little but taught her children, Xanthus and Mary, to draw and paint. Mary Priscilla Smith died in 1874.
Xanthus Smith (1839-1929) was born in Philadelphia and was educated at home. During the family's European tour of 1851-1852 he saw a wide variety of art and, upon returning home, began painting with enthusiasm. Around 1858 he enrolled in a cast drawing class at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
At the start of the Civil War Xanthus Smith enlisted in the Navy, where he served as clerk to the commander of a flagship guarding Port Royal, South Carolina. He began producing detailed drawings of the ships both for official purposes and his own enjoyment. After the war, he continued painting ships and exhibited many of these paintings at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Further commissions of Civil War subjects followed, and Xanthus Smith was soon recognized as the foremost painter of Civil War naval battle scenes.
In the 1880s, Xanthus Smith began painting European landscapes, probably based on his father's sketches made during their 1851-1852 tour of Europe. By the 1900s, he was concentrating on portraiture and figure subjects, and continued painting well into old age. His final years were spent in an unsuccessful attempt to publish his autobiography, "An Unvarnished Tale." Xanthus Smith died in 1929.
Mary Russell Smith (1842-1878) was born near Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. Her mother provided her with instruction in flower painting and she sketched animals and insects independently. At age fourteen Mary Smith completed her first oil painting and by 1858 had begun compiling a list of her completed pictures. She was encouraged by her parents to pursue a career as a professional artist. From 1859-1869, and in 1876 and 1878, Mary Smith exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She also participated in exhibitions at the National Academy of Design in New York, and in the 1876 Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia.
From early childhood, Mary Smith enjoyed raising poultry, and chickens became her favorite painting subject. Her paintings of chickens were popular with Philadelphia art collectors, and sought after in England.
Always sickly, Mary Smith died of gastric fever in 1878. At her request, Russell Smith established the Mary Smith Prize, awarded annually by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, for the best painting exhibited by a woman resident of Philadelphia.
Scope and Content Note
The Russell, Xanthus, and Mary Smith family papers comprise 5.12 linear feet and are dated 1793-1977, bulk 1826-1977. Correspondence, writings, artwork, financial records, printed material, miscellaneous items and photographs provide documentation of the lives and works of painter, illustrator and poet, Russell Smith, and his son, painter Xanthus Smith, and scattered documentation of the lives of his wife, painter and educator Mary Priscilla Smith, and daughter and painter Mary Russell Smith.
Family papers include correspondence, writings, printed material, and miscellaneous items. Correspondence, the bulk of which is comprised of letters to and from Russell and Xanthus Smith, covers both personal and professional matters. Among the correspondents are family, friends, colleagues, and arts organizations. Writings, printed material, and miscellaneous items in this series refer either to the entire Smith family or multiple individuals. Miscellaneous items also concern Horace Binder, father-in-law of Xanthus Smith.
The Russell Smith papers are comprised of biographical information, writings, artwork, and financial records. Biographical information includes some personal documents such as passports and marriage certificates. Among Russell Smith's writings are an autobiography, transcripts of correspondence, and notes. Artwork consists of loose pages and sketch books containing sketches and drawings in pencil, ink, and watercolor. His financial records are cash books recording professional and personal expenses, and receipts and memorabilia from the family's 1851-1852 travels in Europe. The printed material consists of loose clippings and a scrapbook of clippings from Philadelphia newspapers, as well as a small number of exhibition catalogs.
The Xanthus Smith papers consist of biographical information, artwork, financial records, and printed material. Among the writings are his unpublished autobiography, biographies of his father and sister, impressions of the Centennial art exhibition, journals, notes, and poems. Artwork consists of loose sketches in pencil and ink, and sketchbooks containing sketches and finished drawings in pencil and ink, some colored with gouache or watercolor washes. Financial records are cash books recording personal and professional expenses. Printed material includes clippings and a scrapbook.
The Mary Smith papers consist of writings, sketches, and printed material. The papers of her mother, Mary Priscilla Smith, are comprised of writings and printed material.
Photographs are of people, artwork, and miscellaneous subjects. People represented are Russell and Mary Priscilla Smith, their children Xanthus and Mary Smith, and several other relatives including Xanthus's wife and Russell's sister, granddaughter, and uncle. Photographs include ambrotypes, daguerreotypes, and tintypes, along with glass negatives and a small number of original prints. Copy prints have been produced from the glass negatives and other cased photographs. Photographs of artwork are of paintings by Russell Smith, Xanthus Smith, and other artists.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 6 series:
Missing Title
- Series 1: Smith Family Papers, 1793-1977 (Box 1; 0.9 linear ft.)
- Series 2: Russell Smith Papers, 1805-1954 (Boxes 1-2; 1.2 linear ft.)
- Series 3: Xanthus Smith Papers, 1850-1953 (Boxes 3-4; 1.9 linear ft.)
- Series 4: Mary Smith Papers, 1852-1877 (Box 5; 4 folders)
- Series 5: Mary Priscilla Smith Papers, 1839-1874 (21 folders)
- Series 6: Photographs, circa 1845-1934 (Box 6-7, MGP 3, Black Cabinet; 0.9 linear ft.)
Microfilm reel numbers and frames are referenced at folder headings in parenthesis when known. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.
Sketchbooks
Writings
Works of art
Scrapbooks
Tintypes
Educators -- Pennsylvania
Drawings
Daguerreotypes
Painting, Modern -- 19th century -- Pensylvania
Landscape painting
Painters -- Pennsylvania
Illustrators -- Pennsylvania
Poets -- Pennsylvania
Ambrotypes
Photographs
Sketches
Women artists
Women painters
Smith, Xanthus, 1839-1929
Smith, Russell, 1812-1896
Smith, Mary Russell, 1842-1878
Smith, Mary Priscilla, 1819-1874
Smith Family Papers
Series 1
Archival Resource Key
1793-1977
(Box 1; 0.1 linear ft.)
Arrangement note
The series is arranged as 4 subseries:
- 1.1: Correspondence, 1828-1938
- 1.2: Writings, 1852-1861
- 1.3: Printed Material, 1793-1977
- 1.4: Miscellaneous Items, 1826-1906
Correspondence
1.1
Archival Resource Key
1828-1938
Scope and Contents note
Family correspondence is both personal and professional in nature and the bulk of the material consists of letters to and from Russell Smith and Xanthus Smith. Correspondents include family, friends, colleagues, and arts organizations. Represented to a much lesser extent are Mary Smith and Mary Priscilla Smith, along with Russell Smith's niece, uncle and a few other relatives.
Family Correspondence
Archival Resource Key
1828-1938
(14 folders; Reel 2035: 2-1324; Reel 2036: 5-160)
1
1-14
Writings
1.2
Archival Resource Key
1852-1861
Scope and Contents note
Writings relate either to the entire Smith family or a variety of individuals. Notebooks are of University of Pennsylvania mathematics coursework. For additional writings see series for individual members of the Smith family.
Lists and Notes
Archival Resource Key
undated
1
15
Notebooks of [Uncle] Philip Conred ( sic) Kunckle
Archival Resource Key
undated
(2 volumes; Reel 2040: 698-807)
1
16-17
Writings of Russell, Xanthus, and Mary Priscilla Smith
Archival Resource Key
1852-1861
(1 volume; Reel 2040: 454-537)
1
18
Printed Material
1.3
Archival Resource Key
1793-1977
Scope and Contents note
Printed material relates either to the entire Smith family or multiple individuals. For additional printed material see series for individual members of the Smith family.
Clippings and Articles
Archival Resource Key
1
Smith Family
Archival Resource Key
1943-1952, undated
1
19
Various Topics
Archival Resource Key
1793-1977, undated
(2 folders)
1
20
Miscellaneous Publications
Archival Resource Key
1847-1938, undated
1
21
Papers Read at a Reunion of McGaw Normal Institute...A Memorial to the Life, Work, and Character of Professor William Russell... (ancestor of Russell Smith)
Archival Resource Key
1885
1
22
Miscellaneous Items
1.4
Archival Resource Key
1826-1906
Scope and Contents note
Miscellaneous items refer either to the entire Smith family or a variety of individuals including Horace Binder, father-in-law of Xanthus Smith. Records include financial records, printed material and memorabilia of Russell Smith, Mary Priscilla Smith and Xanthus Smith, in addition to genealogical notes and printing plates for Binder and Son business cards and an advertisement.
Financial Records, Printed Material and Memorabilia
Archival Resource Key
1826-1876
(Reel 2040: 668-697)
1
23
Horace Binder
Archival Resource Key
1
Genealogical Notes, Correspondence, and Printed Material
Archival Resource Key
1894-1906, undated
(Reel 2040: 808-852)
1
24
Printing Plates (Binder and Son business cards and advertisement; announcement of daughter's marriage to Xanthus Smith)
Archival Resource Key
undated
1
25
Russell Smith Papers
Series 2
Archival Resource Key
1805-1954
(Boxes 1-2; 1.2 linear ft.)
Arrangement note
This series is arranged as 5 subseries:
- 2.1: Biographical Material, 1805-1879
- 2.2: Writings, 1844-1906
- 2.3: Artwork, 1834-1852
- 2.4: Financial Records, 1832-1897
- 2.5: Printed Material, 1833-1954
Biographical Material
2.1
Archival Resource Key
1805-1879
Scope and Contents note
Biographical material includes passports, a hymnal containing genealogical notes, and membership certificates. Also included are the marriage certificates of Russell Smith's parents, of Russell Smith and Mary Priscilla Smith, and of Xanthus Smith and Mary Binder. Centennial exhibition passes include photographs of Russell Smith and Mary Priscilla Smith.
Biographical and Genealogical Notes
Archival Resource Key
1805-1879, undated
(Reel 2036: 190-209)
1
26
Memorabilia, "Hair at fifty";" Centennial Exhibition Passes
Archival Resource Key
1862, 1877
(Reel 2037: 910-916)
1
27
Personal Documents
Archival Resource Key
1805-1879, undated
(Reel 2036: 161-189)
1
28
Writings
2.2
Archival Resource Key
1844-1906
Scope and Contents note
Russell Smith's writings include an autobiography (with a version edited and completed by Xanthus Smith), and transcripts of correspondence, poems, and notes. For additional writings of Russell, Xanthus, and Mary Priscilla Smith see 1.2: Writings.
Autobiographical Writings
Archival Resource Key
2
Volumes 1-3
Archival Resource Key
circa 1880, circa 1884
(2 folders; Reel 2036: 685-847)
2
1
Manuscript 1 (holograph), "Autobiographical Recollections of Russell Smith" with additions by Xanthus Smith
Archival Resource Key
circa 1884
(Reel 2036: 954-1037)
2
2
Manuscript 2 (typescript), "Autobiographical Recollections of Russell Smith" with conclusion by Xanthus Smith
Archival Resource Key
circa 1884
(Reel 2036: 848-953)
2
3
Miscellaneous Writings
Archival Resource Key
2
Volumes 1-3
Archival Resource Key
1844-1851, undated
(Reel 2036: 1176-1246; Reels 2037: 7-109)
2
4
Volumes 4-5
Archival Resource Key
1851-1852
(Volume 5 available on microfilm only; Reel 2037: 110-184)
2
5
Volumes 6-7
Archival Resource Key
1852-1853
(Reel 2037: 185-323)
2
6
Volume 8
Archival Resource Key
1879-1881, undated
(Reel 2037: 324-370)
2
7
Volume 9
Archival Resource Key
1890-1896
(Reel 2037: 371-385)
2
8
Miscellaneous Writings, Fragments, Notes
Archival Resource Key
1836-1839, undated
(Reel 2036: 1038-1074)
2
9
Notebooks 1 and 2
Archival Resource Key
1883-1890
(Reel 2036: 570-684)
2
10
Writings and Correspondence
Archival Resource Key
2
Wilmington Opera House, Letters (photocopies) and Clippings
Archival Resource Key
1871-1873, undated
(Reel 2036: 210-237)
2
11
Volume 1 (includes copies of a few letters by Mary Smith)
Archival Resource Key
1851
(Reel 2036: 238-375)
2
12
Volume 2 (Russell Smith's letters, transcribed by Xanthus Smith, and copies of Xanthus Smith's letters)
Archival Resource Key
1873-1906
(Reel 2036: 376-404)
2
13
Volume 3
Archival Resource Key
1844-1891
(Reel 2036: 405-569)
2
14
Artwork
2.3
Archival Resource Key
1834-1852
Scope and Contents note
Artwork consists of sketch books with notes on France and loose pages with sketches and drawings in pencil, ink and watercolor. Filed with the artwork are printed reproductions of works by Russell Smith and a book of poems with reproductions of cast drawings titled Gems of Modern Sculpture.
Sketchbooks, Volumes 1-2
Archival Resource Key
1837-1852, undated
(Reel 2037: 288-641)
2
15
Sketches
Archival Resource Key
1834-1882
undated
(Reel 2037: 288-641)
2
16
Sketches
Sketches
Archival Resource Key
1839-1889
undated
(Reel 2037: 288-641)
2
17
Sketches
Financial Records
2.4
Archival Resource Key
1832-1897
Scope and Contents note
Financial records consist of a series of cash books recording professional and personal expenses, and receipts and memorabilia from the family's 1851-1852 travels in Europe. Additional cash books can be found in 3.4: Xanthus Smith Papers, Financial Records.
Cash Books
Archival Resource Key
2
18
Volumes 1-3
Archival Resource Key
1832-1865
(Reel 2037: 917-1025)
2
19
Volumes 4-5, 8
Archival Resource Key
1865-1887
(Reel 2037: 1026-1203, 1338-1378)
2
20
Volumes 9-10 (entries for 1894-1897 recorded by Xanthus Smith)
Archival Resource Key
1875-1897
(Reel 2037: 1379-1501, 1516-1535; Reel 2038: 5-55)
2
21
Investments
Archival Resource Key
1890-1893
(Reel 2037: 56-157)
2
22
Miscellaneous Financial Records
Archival Resource Key
1850s-1890, undated
(Reel 2038: 158-213)
2
23
Receipt for Medical Attendance
Archival Resource Key
1873
2
24
Receipts and Memorabilia from European Trip
Archival Resource Key
1851-1852
(Reel 2038: 56-125)
2
25
Printed Material
2.5
Archival Resource Key
1833-1954
Scope and Contents note
This subseries consists of loose clippings and a scrapbook of clippings from Philadelphia newspapers, as well as a small number of exhibition catalogs.
Clippings
Archival Resource Key
1866-1896, undated
2
26
Clippings and Articles
Archival Resource Key
1856-1954, undated
(3 folders; Reel 2037: 703-909)
2
27-29
Exhibition Catalogs, Labels, Prospectus
Archival Resource Key
1895-1948, undated
(Reel 2037: 684-702)
2
30
Scrapbook of Clippings from Philadelphia Newspapers mentioning Russell Smith
Archival Resource Key
1833-1857
(1 volume; Reel 2037: 642-683)
2
31
Xanthus Smith Papers
Series 3
Archival Resource Key
1850-1953
(Boxes 3-4; 1.9 linear feet)
Arrangement note
This series is arranged as 5 subseries:
- 3.1: Biographical Information, 1856-1930
- 3.2: Writings, 1850-circa 1921
- 3.3: Artwork, 1852-1922
- 3.4: Financial Records, 1864-1897
- 3.5: Printed Material, 1860s-1953
Biographical Information
3.1
Archival Resource Key
1856-1930
Personal Documents
Archival Resource Key
1856-1930
(Reel 2038: 216-224)
3
1
Writings
3.2
Archival Resource Key
1850-circa 1921
Scope and Contents note
Writings include Xanthus Smith's unpublished autobiography, the biographies of his father and sister, impressions of the Centennial art exhibition, journals, notes, and poems.
For additional writings of Russell, Xanthus and Mary Priscilla Smith see 1.2: Smith Family Papers, Writings. See also 2.2: Russell Smith Papers, Writings, for Russell Smith's letters, transcribed by Xanthus Smith, and copies of Xanthus Smith's letters.
Autobiography, "An Unvarnished Tale"
Archival Resource Key
3
First Draft
Archival Resource Key
undated
(11 tablets in 4 folders; Reel 2038: 304-924)
3
2-5
Second Draft
Archival Resource Key
undated
(12 tablets in 4 folders; Reel 2038: 925-1557; Reel 2039: 6-74)
3
6-9
Manuscripts
Archival Resource Key
circa 1920
(3 folders; Reel 2039: 75-533)
3
10-12
"Biographical Sketch of Russell Smith by his Son Xanthus,"
Archival Resource Key
undated
(Reel 2039: 591-618)
3
13
Biography of Russell Smith
Archival Resource Key
undated
(Reel 2039: 619-663)
3
14
"Contains biographical sketch of Russell Smith by X. S., also account of finding Revolutionary soldiers' graves on his place and then placing monumental stone on the spot,"
Archival Resource Key
undated
(Reel 2039: 679-728)
3
15
"A Brief Sketch of the Life of Mary Smith, the Painter,"
Archival Resource Key
1878
(Reel 2039: 534-590)
3
16
Centennial Art Exhibition Impressions
Archival Resource Key
1876
(Reel 2040: 19-105)
4
1
Miscellaneous Writings
Archival Resource Key
4
Miscellaneous Writings
Archival Resource Key
undated
(Reel 2039: 667-678, 699-761)
4
2
Volumes 1-2
Archival Resource Key
circa 1851
(Reel 2039: 762-832)
4
3
Volumes 3-4a and 4b
Archival Resource Key
1850-1851
(Reel 2039: 833-886)
4
4
Volume 5, European Trip
Archival Resource Key
1851-1852
(2 folders; Reel 2039: 887-1048)
4
5-6
Volume 6
Archival Resource Key
undated
(Reel 2039: 1049-1075)
4
7
Volume 7, Journal, U.S.S. Wabash, Port Royal, S. C.; Volume 8, Dimensions of Wabash; Volume 9, "Chemistry Lectures Delivered by Prof. Rogers,"
Archival Resource Key
1862-1863
(Reel 2039: 1076-1190)
4
8
Volumes 10-12, Journals
Archival Resource Key
1869-1872
(Reel 2039: 1191-1345)
4
9
Volumes 13
Archival Resource Key
1862, undated
(Reel 2039: 1346-1389; Reel 2040: 7-18)
4
10
Notes about Russell Smith with Transcripts of Letters (for biography of his father?)
Archival Resource Key
undated
4
11
Notes and Writings
Archival Resource Key
1852-circa 1921
(2 volumes and loose items; Reel 2040: 106-236)
4
12
"Pictures Painted since 1875 - Record of Frames 1881-2,"
Archival Resource Key
undated
(Reel 2037: 1509-1515)
4
13
Scientific Notes, Poems, List of Paintings
Archival Resource Key
1852-1882
(Reel 2038: 225-302)
4
14
Speech Delivered at Women's School of Design
Archival Resource Key
undated
(Reel 2040: 224-238)
4
15
Artwork
3.3
Archival Resource Key
1852-1922
Sketchbooks
Archival Resource Key
1852-1922, undated
(Reel 2040: 239-369)
4
16
Sketches and "Classified List of War Sketches,"
Archival Resource Key
1879, undated
(Reel 2040: 239-369)
4
17
Financial Records
3.4
Archival Resource Key
1864-1897
Scope and Contents note
For additional cash books see 2.4: Russell Smith Papers, Financial Records.
Cash Books
Archival Resource Key
4
Volumes 6-7
Archival Resource Key
1864-1870, undated
(Reel 2037: 1204-1337)
4
18
Printed Material
3.5
Archival Resource Key
1860s-1953
Clippings, Articles, Centennial Exhibition Passes with Photographs of Xanthus Smith
Archival Resource Key
1860s-1939, undated
(Reel 2040: 408-435)
4
19
Clippings, Articles, Miscellaneous Publications
Archival Resource Key
1862-1953, undated
4
20
Clippings mentioning Mary Bender (Mrs. Xanthus) Smith
Archival Resource Key
1882, 1938, undated
4
21
Exhibition Catalog
Archival Resource Key
1936
(Reel 2040: 370-386)
4
22
Report of the Secretary of the Navy with an Appendix containing Reports from Officers; Webster's Army and Navy Pocket Dictionary
Archival Resource Key
1862-1863
4
23
"Scrapbook started by Xanthus Smith when on board the U.S.S. Augusta and continued subsequent to the war, 1864-1870,"
Archival Resource Key
1864-1870
(Reel 2040: 387-407)
4
24
Mary Smith Papers
Series 4
Archival Resource Key
1852-1877
(Box 5; 4 folders)
List of Works
Archival Resource Key
1858-1877
(Reel 2040: 601-613)
5
1
Obituaries
Archival Resource Key
1878
5
2
Sketches
Archival Resource Key
1852, undated
(Reel 2040: 614-620)
5
3
Writings
Archival Resource Key
1861, undated
(Reel 2040: 574-600)
5
4
Mary Priscilla Smith Papers
Series 5
Archival Resource Key
1839-1874
(Box 5; 2 folders)
Scope and Contents note
Writings include poems, a chronology and notes. For additional writings of Russell, Xanthus and Mary Priscilla Smith see 1.2: Smith Family Papers, Writings.
Printed Material, "The Indian Maid" in The Gentleman's Magazine (Mary Priscilla Smith, translator) and Death Notice
Archival Resource Key
1838, 1874
5
5
Writings, Bound Volume
Archival Resource Key
1839, undated
(1 volume; Reel 2040: 621-667)
5
6
Photographs
Series 6
Archival Resource Key
circa 1845-1934
(Box 6-7, MGP 3, and Black Cabinet; 0.9 linear ft.)
Scope and Contents note
Photographs included ambrotypes, daguerreotypes, and tintypes, along with glass negatives and a small number of original prints. Although the original ambrotypes, daguerreotypes, and tintypes were not microfilmed, copy negatives and prints have been produced from the glass negatives and are filed within the collection. The majority of folders contain the original photograph in addition to a copy negative and/or copy print.
Arrangement note
This series is arranged as 3 subseries:
- 6.1: People, circa 1845-1919
- 6.2: Artwork, undated
- 6.3: Miscellaneous Subjects, circa 1870-1934
Although referenced as folder titles, cased photographs are stored separately. Copy prints are found within the numbered boxes and folders and the originals are filed in the "black cabinet". Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.
Existence and Location of Copies
Glass plate negatives have been scanned.
People
6.1
Archival Resource Key
circa 1845-1919
Scope and Contents note
Among the photographs of people are group and individual portraits of Russell and Mary Priscilla Smith, and their children Xanthus and Mary. There are also images of Russell's uncle, granddaughter, and sister, along with several unidentified individuals.
Smith Family
Archival Resource Key
6
Salt Paper Print: Russell, Mary Priscilla, and Mary Smith attributed to Xanthus Smith
Archival Resource Key
circa 1857, undated
(Reel 2062: 33)
6
1
Russell and Mary Priscilla Smith with daughter Mary, and Margaret Russell Smith (sister of Russell Smith) attributed to Xanthus Smith
Archival Resource Key
undated
6
2
Andrew Smith (uncle of Russell Smith): Tintype by Xanthus Smith
Archival Resource Key
circa 1865
6
3
George Russell Smith: see Xanthus Russell Smith, Jr. and George Russell Smith
Archival Resource Key
6
Margaret Russell Smith: see Smith Family
Archival Resource Key
6
Mary Binder Smith (Mrs. Xanthus Smith): Hand Tinted Photograph
Archival Resource Key
undated
6
4
Mary Priscilla Smith (see also Smith Family and Russell Smith)
Archival Resource Key
6
Ambrotype Copy Print
Archival Resource Key
circa 1860
6
5
Daguerreotypes Copy Prints
Archival Resource Key
circa 1845-1850s
(2 items)
6
6
Tintype Copy Print attributed to Xanthus Smith
Archival Resource Key
circa 1864
6
7
Mary Smith
Archival Resource Key
6
Ambrotypes Copy Prints, 1 attributed to Xanthus Smith
Archival Resource Key
circa 1850s, circa 1865
6
8
Daguerreotype Copy Prints
Archival Resource Key
circa 1850s
6
9
Tintype Copy Print, attributed to Xanthus Smith
Archival Resource Key
circa 1865, undated
6
10
Russell Smith
Archival Resource Key
6
Portraits
Archival Resource Key
6
Ambrotype Copy Print
Archival Resource Key
circa 1858
6
11
Carte de Visite
Archival Resource Key
undated
(Reel 2062: 7)
6
12
Daguerreotype Copy Print
Archival Resource Key
circa 1848
6
13
Glass Plate Negative Copy Prints
Archival Resource Key
circa 1890-1895, undated
(Reel 2062: 15-20)
6
14
Scope and Contents
(4 glass plate negatives housed in Box 7 and MGP 3)
In Studio, Glass Plate Negative Copy Print
Archival Resource Key
undated
(Reel 2062: 22)
6
15
Scope and Contents
(1 glass plate negative housed in Box 7)
With Grandaughter "Polly" (Mary Russell Smith, daughter of Xanthus)
Archival Resource Key
6
Ambrotype Copy Print
Archival Resource Key
circa 1880s
6
16
Glass Plate Negative Copy Prints
Archival Resource Key
circa 1885-1890, undated
6
17
Scope and Contents
(2 glass plate negatives housed in Box 7)
With Mary Priscilla Smith, Stereo Tintype, attributed to Xanthus Smith
Archival Resource Key
circa 1870
6
18
Xanthus Smith
Archival Resource Key
6
Ambrotypes Copy Prints
Archival Resource Key
circa 1855
6
19
Daguerreotype Copy Print
Archival Resource Key
circa 1855
6
20
Glass Plate Negative Copy Prints
Archival Resource Key
undated
(Reel 2062: 8)
6
21
Scope and Contents
(2 glass plate negatives housed in Box 7)
Glass Plate Negative Copy Print, Xanthus in Civil War Uniform
Archival Resource Key
circa 1863
(Reel 2062: 27)
6
22
Glass Plate Negative Copy Print, Xanthus in Civil War Uniform
Scope and Contents
(1 glass plate negative housed in Box 7)
Xanthus Smith, Jr., and George Russell Smith (sons of Xanthus and Mary Binder Smith), by Bachrach
Archival Resource Key
1919
(Reel 2062: 44-45)
6
23
Unidentified Individuals
Archival Resource Key
6
Couples, Ambrotype, Copy Prints
Archival Resource Key
circa 1865
6
24
Couples, Tintype, Copy Prints
Archival Resource Key
circa 1856
6
25
Women, Cartes de Visit
Archival Resource Key
undated
(Reel 2062: 32, 34)
6
26
Smith Family Portrait: Russell and Mary Priscilla Smith with daughter Mary, and Margaret Russell Smith (sister of Russell Smith) , SF20
Archival Resource Key
undated
1
Scope and Contents
Framed ambrotype attributed to Xanthus Smith
Andrew Smith (uncle of Russell Smith), SF16
Archival Resource Key
circa 1860s
2
Scope and Contents
Tintype by Xanthus Smith
Mary Binder Smith (Mrs. Xanthus Smith)
Archival Resource Key
undated
3
Scope and Contents
Hand colored albumen print
Mary Priscilla Smith
Archival Resource Key
Portrait, SF11
Archival Resource Key
circa 1860
4
Scope and Contents
Ambrotype
Portrait, SF08
Archival Resource Key
circa 1845
5
Scope and Contents
Daguerreotype
Portrait, SF09
Archival Resource Key
circa 1850
6
Scope and Contents
Daguerreotype
Portrait attributed to Xanthus Smith, SF10
Archival Resource Key
circa 1860s
7
Scope and Contents
Cased tintype
Mary Smith
Archival Resource Key
Portrait, SF07
Archival Resource Key
circa 1859
8
Scope and Contents
Ambrotype
Portrait, SF18
Archival Resource Key
circa 1860s
9
Scope and Contents
Ambrotype
Portrait, SF06
Archival Resource Key
circa 1860s
10
Scope and Contents
Daguerreotype
Russell Smith
Archival Resource Key
Portrait, SF04
Archival Resource Key
circa 1859
11
Scope and Contents
Ambrotype
Portrait, SF03
Archival Resource Key
circa 1848
12
Scope and Contents
Daguerreotype
Portrait with grandmother, Polly, SF05
Archival Resource Key
circa 1880s
13
Scope and Contents
Ambrotype
Portrait with Mary Priscilla Smith, SF17
Archival Resource Key
circa 1860s
14
Scope and Contents
Framed stereo tintype attributed to Xanthus Smith
Xanthus Smith
Archival Resource Key
Portrait, SF13
Archival Resource Key
circa 1855
15
Scope and Contents
Ambrotype
Portrait, SF14
Archival Resource Key
circa 1855
16
Scope and Contents
Ambrotype
Portrait, SF12
Archival Resource Key
circa 1855
17
Scope and Contents
Daguerreotype
Unidentified Couples
Archival Resource Key
Portrait of Couple, , SF19
Archival Resource Key
circa 1863
18
Scope and Contents
Ambrotype
Portrait of Couple, SF15
Archival Resource Key
circa 1856
19
Scope and Contents
Tintype
Artwork
6.2
Archival Resource Key
undated
Scope and Contents note
Photographs of artwork are by Russell Smith, Xanthus Smith, and other artists. The photograph of artwork by Russell Smith is of a printed reproduction incorrectly described as being by W.T.R. Smith. Photographs of artwork by Xanthus Smith consist of 17 glass plate negatives without copy prints. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.
By Russell Smith, "Robert Morris by W.T.R. Smith 1831,"
Archival Resource Key
undated
(Reel 2062: 42-43)
6
27
By Xanthus Smith, "Copies of Wash Drawings of Battle Pieces - Copies of X. S. wash drawings of Farragut's naval battles Mississippi - Mobil - Kearsarge and Alabama"
Archival Resource Key
undated
6
28
Scope and Contents
(17 glass plate negatives housed in Box 7)
By Other Artists - Portraits of Jacob Krips (Smith ancestor) and Unidentified Individuals
Archival Resource Key
undated
(Reel 2062: 46-52)
6
29
Miscellaneous Subjects
6.3
Archival Resource Key
circa 1870-1934
Landscapes - Unidentified Panorama and Two Aerial Views of the Smith Home
Archival Resource Key
1934, undated
(Reel 2062: 38, 53-56)
6
30
"Reading Terminal in Progress, X. S. Photo,"
Archival Resource Key
circa 1892
(Reel 2062: 40)
6
31
Three Unidentified Men with Steam Engine (cyanotype by Xanthus Smith, with copy negative and copy print)
Archival Resource Key
circa 1870, undated
(Reel 2062: 41)
6
32
Glass Plate Negatives
Archival Resource Key
26 Glass negatives
7
Glass Plate Negatives
Glass Plate Negatives
Archival Resource Key
1 Glass negative
MGP 3
Glass Plate Negatives