James David Smillie

The son of an engraver known for his rendering of canvases by Hudson River School artists, Smillie was trained by his father. He engraved the plates for James Fennimore Cooper's novels after illustrations by F. O. C. Darley and made engravings for bank notes. In 1864, he returned from his first trip to Europe and began to focus on oil paintings, water colors, and original etchings. He was a founder of the New York Etching Club.