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Smith Art Gallery

Who was Mr Smith?

William Smith was born in Greetland in 1839. His father was a son of a dyer-manufacturer and William went into partnership with him at the age of 22. In 1873, they started to manufacture tweeds and serges in Badger Hill Mill in Rastrick and the firm expanded rapidly.

In 1893, William was elected the first mayor of Brighouse. He served as Mayor for a further 5 years. He was given the freedom of the borough and was elected a Freeman in 1910.

There are paintings of William Smith and his wife, Susannah, whom he married in 1860. These can be found on the landing above the reception area and were painted by William Logsdail.

William and Susannah had no children of their own. However, they adopted a son, Albert Edward. Susannah died in 1916 and William in 1922, aged 83 years.

What is the history of the Smith Art Gallery?

In 1897, ‘The Ridings’, an early Victorian house, was purchased for use as a library and opened on 15 June 1898. On 22 May 1907, after extensive but sympathetic additions, Princess Louise opened the Smith Art Gallery.

The two large galleries were originally used for oil paintings and are used today for displays of the Brighouse Art Collection and for temporary exhibitions. The original decoration was boarded walls painted ‘Pompeian Red’ with paintings hung 2, 3 and even 4 deep. There were originally 4 galleries and the 2 smaller galleries were used for watercolours and prints.

What will I see at the Smith Art Gallery?

Many of the paintings on show were collected by the first Mayor of Brighouse, William Smith. He started collecting paintings in the 1870s, from exhibitions in Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and London. He also had 2 large Rubens copied by J.H. Mols while he was in Antwerp.

The paintings are a fine and significant record of the taste and values of the late Victorian period. They range from beautiful landscapes to important portraits and from historical paintings to ‘modern’ moralities. You will also see a few minor masterpieces, such as Atkinson Grimshaw’s ‘Mossy Glen’ and Marcus Stone’s ‘Silent Pleading’.

William Smith had very clear views about art and artists and was a sincere believer in the role art might play in uplifting the individual. Consequently, he attached the highest importance to the subject matter and moral tone of the pictures he bought.

There is also a changing programme of exhibitions featuring work by regional artists, designer craftsmen and art societies.

The Smith Art Gallery today

The Smith Art Gallery provides a pleasant atmosphere to meet your friends, interact with beautiful paintings or to do the family gallery hunt. There is also an exciting programme of temporary exhibitions, providing a new experience each time you visit.

See also loans, donations and bequests .

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