David Seth-Smith FZS, MBOU (9 March 1875 – 30 October 1963) was a British

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

wildlife art An animal painter is an artist who specialises in (or is known for their skill in) the portrayal of animals. The '' OED'' dates the first express use of the term "animal painter" to the mid-18th century: by English physician, naturalist and wri ...

ist,

nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

broadcaster and author. His career included spells as Curator of Mammals and Birds for the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity and organization devoted to the worldwide animal conservation, conservation of animals and their habitat conservation, habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained London Zo ...

and editor of the

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club The ''Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club'' is an ornithology, ornithological scientific journal, journal published by the British Ornithologists' Club (BOC). It is citation, cited as ''Bull. B. O. C.'' Many descriptions of birds Bird sp ...

and the Avicultural Magazine. In 1905 he was appointed a member of council for the Zoological Society and was awarded the society's

Silver Medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

in 1908. He later presented nature programmes on the BBC's

Children's Hour ''Children's Hour'', initially ''The Children's Hour'', was the BBC's principal recreational service for children (as distinct from "Broadcasts to Schools") which began during the period when radio was the only medium of broadcasting. ''Childre ...

under the name "The Zoo Man", and also "Friends from the Zoo" on BBC Television, giving his first broadcast in 1932. He illustrated and photographed many animals and birds in captivity and is credited for taking the only known photographs of the now extinct

pink-headed duck The pink-headed duck (''Rhodonessa caryophyllacea'') is a large diving duck that was once found in parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, Gangetic plains of India, Nepal, parts of Maharashtra, Bangladesh and in the riverine swamps of Myanmar but has b ...

. By 1945, he was a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the Zoological Society; Member of the

British Ornithologists' Union The British Ornithologists' Union (BOU) aims to encourage the study of birds (ornithology) around the world in order to understand their biology and aid their conservation. The BOU was founded in 1858 by Professor Alfred Newton, Henry Baker ...

; Hon. Fellow,

New York Zoological Society New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

; Corresponding Fellow,

American Ornithologists' Union The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its ...

; and Corresponding Member, Societe National d'Acclimatation de France. He was the first-born son of William Seth Smith (1824–1887), by his second marriage to Catherine Sarah (nee Edwards). He married firstly Mary, daughter of James Benjamin Scott and his wife Sarah, on 11 June 1900, and they had four children. Following her death, he married secondly Heather (nee Heydemann), on 11 January 1946. His grandfather was the developer

Seth Smith Garry Seth Smith (born September 30, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles. He ...

, who built large portions of Mayfair and Belgravia in the West End, and his half-brother,

William Howard Seth-Smith III William Howard Seth Smith (23 August 1852 – 30 August 1928) was a British architect. He is best known for his contributions to churches and schools in the Surrey area. Biography William Howard Seth-Smith was born into a noted Scottish archite ...

was also a noted

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

List of works

David Seth-Smith autograph - image by Andy Mabbett

*''

Parakeet A parakeet is any one of many small- to medium-sized species of parrot, in multiple genera, that generally has long tail feathers. Etymology and naming The name ''parakeet'' is derived from the French word ''perroquet'', which is reflect ...

s: A Handbook to the Imported Species'' (R.H. Porter, 1903) - revised second edition (Quaritch, 1926) - further revised by Matthew M. Vriends for later editions as: ''Small Parrots (Parrakeets)'' (1979-) *''Adventures with The Zoo Man'' (Pitman, 1935) *''Zoo Friends - A Pictorial Tour of the Zoo, reproduced from over 300 photographs'' (Associated Newspapers, 1935?) *''Animals and their Young'' (Routledge, 1936) - introduction, with photos by Gabriel Denes *''The Zoo Man Speaking'' (Thomas Nelson, 1937) *''Stories by The Zoo Man'' (E.J. Arnold, 1939) - no. 26 in the "Broadcast Echoes" series *''Birds of Our Country and of the Dominions, Colonies and Dependencies; their Life, Eggs, Nests and Identification'' (Hutchinson, 1939-) - 2 vols., editor *''More Adventures with The Zoo Man'' (Pitman, 1939) *''The Zoo Man Talks About the Wild Animals of Our Country'' (Littlebury, 1945) *''The Zoo Man Talks About the Wild Birds of Our Country'' (Littlebury, 1946) *''Jolly Families, by the Zoo Man of the BBC'' (Studly Press, 1946) - no. 12 in the "Tally-Ho" series, illustrated by

Walter Trier Walter Trier (25 June 1890 in Prague – 8 July 1951 in Craigleith, near Collingwood) was an illustrator, best known for his work for the children's books of Erich Kästner and the covers of the magazine '' Lilliput''. He was born in Bohem ...

*''Natural History Birds and Mammals'' (Herbert Jenkins, 1949) - from the "Reason Why" series *''Zoo Birds'' (Penguin, 1951?) - no. 68 in the "Puffin Picture" series of books

References

External links

Portraits in the NPG

Seth-Smith Family Tree
- for information on the ancestry of David Seth-Smith {{DEFAULTSORT:Seth-Smith, David 1875 births 1963 deaths British zoologists English nature writers British children's writers British radio personalities British bird artists 20th-century British painters British male painters 20th-century British male artists