F. HOPKINSON SMITH, 1899, MAN FROM TUNIS OIL PAINTING Start Price USD 5,995.00 Current Price USD 5,995.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, November 12, 2008 End Time Friday, December 12, 2008 Location Bermuda Dunes, CA See more about 'F. HOPKINSON SMITH, 1899, MAN FROM TUNIS OIL PAINTING' Description For all you Scavenger Lady followers you know that I have listed some truly wonderful family heirlooms. This one by far, takes the prize. This fabulous, signed and in perfect condition, oil painting belonged to my grandmother. This painting has one huge story behind it. I cannot print all of it here but anyone interested will take it further and research all the details the same way I did. I always knew this painting had an energy, a story to tell and a look that really grabs you, but when I began to research the artist even I could not have anticipated such a huge story as this. The artist is Francis Hopkinson Smith, (1838-1915). He was the son of Francis and Susan (Teackle) Smith, and great-grandson of Francis Hopkinson, an artist-poet-musician and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence! But wait, there is way more to the story here. Smith had an engineering firm for thirty years, contracting many projects with the Federal Government, including the building of the Race Rock Lighthouse, the Block Island Break-water, the sea wall on Stanten Island, and he is most famous for engineering the foundations for the Statue of Liberty!! Talk about a story with some history. Now, after achieving all this with his engineering firm, he begins to write books about his engineering travels and illustrates some of his own books. His books prove to be so popular that he is able to retire from engineering and devote his time to travel. Smith was a popular speaker and raconteur, and his after-dinner stories provided the basis of his first novel. In total he was the author of twelve novels and numerous magazine articles, many of these were first-hand accounts of his travels abroad in Europe, Mexico, and Turkey. Inspiration for his art came from the remote places he chose to visit and “he certainly captured the sights and soul of these exotic places.” Do you feel this quote to be completely true when you look at the man in this painting? This man’s soul is captured 100% in this painting and Smith’s expertise is so apparent. Smith devoted more and more time to painting, spending his summers abroad, exhibiting and publishing his drawings. He was known for landscapes, portraits, farms, Europe, canals, and boats as well as others. Smith won many honors and awards during his lifetime including; Bronze medal, Buffalo Expo., 1901; silver medal, Charleston Expo., 1902; gold medal, Philadelphia Art Club, 1902 gold medal, American Art Society, 1902; Commander order of the Mejidieh, 1898; and the Order of Osmanieh by the Sultan of Turkey, 1900. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters; American Society; Civil Engineers; American Watercolor Society; Philadelphia Art Club; Cincinnati Art Club and others. I wish I knew the story on how my grandmother came to have this painting, I am sure the story goes on and on but sadly I don’t know. I do know that the painting speaks to me and has always been admired by those who see it. It measures 9” x 12” and with the frame it measures 17 ¾” x 21”. Be sure to check into the prices of many of Smith’s pieces which have sold for prices ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 at the major auction houses. Many of his works can be seen in museums such as the Albright Art Gallery, Brooklyn Museum, Columbus Museum, Corcoran Gallery, Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the Smithsonian, and others. Adding to the value of this particular piece is the fact that it’s oil, unlike so many of his pieces which are watercolor. Enjoy this wonderful man from Tunis, for not only did Smith sign and date his painting, he also gives us the place, Tunis! Place a Bid!