Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Smith, Thomas (d.1767)
SMITH, THOMAS (d. 1767), landscape-painter, was born and chiefly resided at Derby. He was self-taught, but attained to considerable proficiency, and, as one of the earliest delineators of the beauties of English scenery, enjoyed a great reputation in his day. He was generally called ‘Smith of Derby’ to distinguish him from the Smiths of Chichester. He painted views of the most interesting and picturesque places in Derbyshire, Yorkshire, and other parts, many plates from which, by Vivarès, Elliott, Scotin, and other able engravers, were published by himself and Boydell. A collection of these, with the title ‘Recueil de 40 vues du Pic de Derby et autres lieux peintes par Smith et gravées par Vivarès et autres,’ was issued in 1760. In 1769 Boydell published a set of four views of Rome, painted by Smith from sketches by James Basire (1730–1802) [q. v.]; also six plates from his designs illustrating the mode of training racehorses. Smith handled the graver himself, and in 1751 produced a ‘Book of Landskips;’ he also engraved from his own pictures a set of four views of the lakes of Cumberland, 1767. He died at the Hot Wells, Bristol, on 12 Sept. 1767. Smith had two sons, Thomas Correggio and John Raphael Smith [q. v.]; the former practised for some years as a miniature-painter, and died at Uttoxeter in middle life; the latter is separately noticed.
[Edwards's Anecdotes of Painting; Mason's Gray, 1827, p. 308; Redgrave's Dict. of Artists; Nagler's Künstler-Lexikon.]