GEORGE SMITH (1829-1901) THE FIRST LESSON signed and dated 1866

GEORGE SMITH (1829-1901) THE FIRST LESSON signed and dated 1866, oil on prepared panel, 59 x 49.5cmProvenance: In the present private family ownership since 1910 or earlier.George Smith, one of three artists of the 18th and 19th centuries to be so named, can be counted with his near contemporaries F D Hardy and G B O'Neill as perhaps the three foremost Victorian genre painters. Their work was characterised by the fineness of rich detail amply evident in the present beautifully preserved picture, often focusing on interior scenes with children. All were influenced by, and two were directly connected with, the so called Cranbrook Colony of artists whose mentor was Thomas Webster, RA (1800-1886). George Smith studied at the Royal Academy Schools under Charles West Cope and lived in London and at Haslemere, Surrey. His pictures were shown at the annual Royal Academy Exhibition from 1848-1887.