Highlights from the Smith Collection

Both galleries at the Smith Art Gallery in Brighouse will showcase highlights of the art collection of William and Susannah Smith.

Alderman William Smith (1839-1922), who was Mayor of Brighouse from 1893-1895 and 1904-1907, and his wife Susannah (1838-1916) began collecting paintings in the 1870s from exhibitions around the UK. These paintings were representative of the time, with the late Victorian period focussing mainly on well-executed portraits, landscapes, and vignettes. The couple bequeathed their collection, and the Smith Art Gallery, to the people of Brighouse in 1907.

The collection is looked after by Calderdale Museums Service and has been displayed and stored at Smith Art Gallery and other museum sites since 1974 when the collection came under the remit of Calderdale Council. This exhibition displays a wide range of the artworks, along with information about the Smiths, their art collecting and philanthropy.

Image: Portraits of William and Susannah Smith by William Logsdail (1859-1944). Calderdale Museums Service collection