Constance Hugh Smith Old Parish Church of St Martin, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Constance Hugh Smith (1845–1918)

This delightful picture forms part of a collection of works that we have for sale by Constance Hugh Smith (1845–1918). In 1865 Constance (née Adeane) married Hugh Colin Smith, who was a banker and Governor of the Bank of England 1897–99. The couple lived at Mount Clare, Roehampton, south west London, and their children included the banker Vivien Hugh Smith, 1st Baron Bicester. Constance was painted by John Singer Sargent in 1904.

It is said that Constance Hugh Smith often escaped the pressures of family life by spending time abroad, visiting desirable destinations of the time, such as the French Riviera and the spa town of Marienbad (in the now Czech Republic), where she indulged her passion for painting and drawing. Pictures in this collection include views in Bohemia; the Bavarian Alps; Lazio, Italy; and Valletta, Malta. Landscapes within the British Isles include the Isle of Wight, Scotland and also Ireland, along with the country houses Monkshatch, Malshanger and Rowfant.

Some of the paintings in the collection employ an unusual combination of gouache wash and graphite or ink, to create a simultaneously vivid but ethereal effect.

Works by Constance Hugh Smith auctioned at Bonhams in 2011.