FRANCIS HOPKINSON SMITH - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 04/18 - HFSID 3525

FRANCIS HOPKINSON SMITH
Smith wrote this letter thanking the recipient for sending someone to deliver a check.
Autograph letter signed: "F. Hopkinson Smith", 2 pages, 4¼x6¾, 1 sheet folded, front and verso, with embossed "Semper Paratus" coat of arms near top edge. Dated "April 18", with purple ink date stamp of "Apr 19 1902" near upper left corner of page 1. In full: "My Dear Mr Walker It was very kind of you to send Wm. Boysen to me with the ck.. and I thank you heartily for it. I have arranged with him for the small balance due. We all get short some time or other and I never knew any body who had plenty of irons in the fire who was not in that condition. I am often. Full [illegible]". Smith (1838-1915), the great-grandson of Francis Hopkinson, one of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, was a noted engineer, artist and writer. After working as a Assistant Superintendent of a New York iron foundry during the Civil War, Smith and a partner, James Symington, started an engineering business that worked on a number of federal government projects over the next 30 years. These projects included the building of the Race Rock Lighthouse, the sea wall on Staten Island, the foundations for the Statue of Liberty and architectural plans for the Mosquito Inlet Lighthouse. A self-taught watercolorist, Smith painted primarily for his own pleasure, not wanting art to become a commercial aspect of his life. During the 1870s and 1880s, Smith, a member of the New York Tile Club, illustrated several books. He also wrote books, illustrated with his own sketches, and gave popular lectures on his travels throughout Europe. Smith also wrote novels, including Colonel Carter of Cartersville and The Fortunes of Oliver Horn. A member of a number of organizations, including the Society of Illustrators, Smith won a number of medals for his work. Lightly toned and creased. Light dent in lower left corner. Lightly soiled on back of letter. Folded once horizontally and vertically and unfolded. Otherwise, fine condition.