Thomas William Smillie (April 15, 1843 – March 7, 1917) was a British-American photographer and archivist. He served as the first official photographer of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

, as well as the first official curator of the Smithsonian's photography collection.

Early life

Smillie was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, but moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

with his family at age five. He eventually attended

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

as a student in medicine and chemistry.

Career

At the age of 27, Smillie started for the Smithsonian as a staff photographer using different photographic techniques to document the Smithsonian's daily operation, its exhibitions and people. In 1890,

Louisa Bernie Gallaher Louisa Bernie Gallaher, also known as L. Bernie Gallaher (born 1857/1858 - April 18, 1917), was an American scientific photographer for the Smithsonian United States National Museum (USNM). She was the Smithsonian's first woman photographer and ...

was transferred to his photographic department after Smillie had noticed her photography skills. Gallaher became his chief assistant. Smillie gained field experience as an expedition photographer for the

United States Fish Commission The United States Fish Commission, formally known as the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, was an agency of the United States government created in 1871 to investigate, promote, and preserve the Fishery, fisheries of the United St ...

and he photographed the

Solar eclipse of May 28, 1900 A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Monday, May 28, 1900, with a magnitude of 1.0249. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the ...

. Additionally, upon the creation of the formal Section of Photography at the Smithsonian in 1896, Smillie was appointed a ''Smithsonian Custodian'' in charge of the growing photographic collection; he would hold both positions until his death in 1917. One of Smillie's interests was in preserving the history of photography. After assuming his curatorial duties, he decided that, "an effort will be made hereafter, especially in connection with the future expositions of amateur photography, to secure such works as are necessary to make the collection in the National Museum a reference and record collection, which shall not only be a matter of interest and pleasure to the public, but of practical value to the photographers themselves." His initial purchases for the Section of Photography included a camera and equipment owned by

Samuel Morse Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872) was an American inventor and painter. After establishing his reputation as a portrait painter, Morse, in his middle age, contributed to the invention of a Electrical telegraph#Morse ...

. In 1913, Smillie curated the Smithsonian's first-ever photography exhibition.

Frances Benjamin Johnston Frances Benjamin Johnston (January 15, 1864 – May 16, 1952) was an American photographer and photojournalist whose career lasted for almost half a century. She is most known for her portraits, images of southern architecture, and various photo ...

learned photography from him, among others.The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art, Volume 1
edited by Joan M. Marter.

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smillie, Thomas 1843 births 1917 deaths British emigrants to the United States Photographers from Edinburgh Georgetown University alumni Photographers from Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Institution people