Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Smith, George Walter Vincent, 1832-1923 print view role Collector dates 1832-1923 city Springfield state MA other cities Derby, CT; New York, NY; sex M historical notes George Walter Vincent Smith was an Industrialist (Carriage manufacturer, Stivers and Smith) art collector, patron and curator. Smith and his wife, nee Arabella "Belle" Townsley, collected Italian paintings, American paintings and drawings, European and Far Eastern textiles and furniture, Oriental arms and armor, cloisonné, ceramics, lacquerware, metalwork, ivories, and carpets. The Smiths offered their collection to the city of Springfield, MA, if they built a building to house the collection. In 1895, the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Gallery opened to the public and housed 6,000 objects. Smith oversaw the design of the museum and installed the galleries. Smith ordered all his personal correspondence destroyed after his death. Smith is discussed in Frederick Baekeland, "Collectors of American Painting, 1813 to 1913," American Art Review, Nov-Dec 1976 decades of activity 1870-1880 1880-1890 1890-1900 1900-1910 1910-1920 updated 10/31/2024 13:33:16 bibliographic search Search Frick Art Reference Library Catalog Search Photoarchive Search Worldcat Search Library of Congress Name Authority File (LCNAF) Search Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) Search Wikidata Entry Archives/Repository Collection Title Collection Details George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum 220 State Street George Walter Vincent Smith Letters, 1882-1922. see details... The Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives 200 Eastern Parkway Avery Family Collection, 1891-1966 (bulk 1939-1940). see details... George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum 220 State Street Letters, [19--] see details... George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum 220 State Street Cordelia Sargent Pond Letter, 1925 Jan. 26. see details... Archives of American Art Victor Building, Suite 2200 Photographs of artists in their Paris studios, 1880-1890 see details... see also: Gill, James Dwyer, 1849-1937 «  back