John Rowson Smith (1810 – 1864) was a panorama painter in the United States. His father was

John Rubens Smith John Rubens Smith (January 23, 1775 – August 21, 1849) was a London-born painter, printmaker and art instructor who worked in the United States. Biography Smith was born in London, England where he first studied art with his father, John Rap ...

. Several publications about him and his work were published. He produced a successful three reel rendition of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. It was also published in book form. He was born in Boston and grew up in Brooklyn before moving to Philadelphia. Smith was a pioneer in the creation of

moving panorama The moving panorama was an innovation on panoramic painting in the mid-nineteenth century. It was among the most popular forms of entertainment in the world, with hundreds of panoramas constantly on tour in the United Kingdom, the United States, a ...

s. He was a rival of

John Banvard John Banvard (November 15, 1815 – May 16, 1891) was a panorama and portrait painter known for his panoramic views of the Mississippi River Valley. He was a pioneer in moving panoramic paintings. Biography John Banvard was born in New York and ...

. Artist Russell Smith considered him a great scamp and reportedly gave his own son a distinctive name so there would be no confusion between the two. He died on March 21, 1864 in Philadelphia and was interred at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, John Rowson 1810 births 1864 deaths 19th-century American painters 19th-century American male artists American male painters Artists from Boston Artists from Brooklyn Artists from Philadelphia Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Painters from Massachusetts Painters from New York City Painters from Pennsylvania

See also

References