Edwin Whitney-Smith
Other names: Name at birth: Edwin Smith
Born 2 August 1880
Died 8 January 1952
Active: 1908 - 1951
Country of birth and death: England
Sculptor
Born in Bath, Somerset. He was educated at Bath Grammar School and then studied sculpture at Bath and Bristol art schools. Smith also worked for William Harbutt, the inventor of Plasticine and headmaster of Bath School of Art. Early in his career, Smith moved to London and began exhibiting at the Royal Academy and Paris Salon. Soon afterwards, he started hyphenating his name and thereafter styled himself Whitney-Smith. He received many commissions for portrait busts as well as creating small statuettes. Amongst his sitters were Ernest Bevin, Adrian Stokes, Mrs S. A. Courtauld, Sir Alfred Munnings, Sir Bannister Fletcher and the Liverpool shipping magnate, Sir William Forwood. 'The Waking Child' (shown in Bristol in 1913 and as a statuette in bronze at the Royal Academy in 1920) was acquired by the Ferens Art Gallery, Hull. He died at home in London.
Works
Dates are usually the year a work was exhibited so may differ from date of production.
New entries have been made each time a work was exhibited. Click here for more information.
The Sleeping Nun
1913 (Presumed)
£73 10s.
The Waking Child
1913 (Presumed)
Henry Overton Wills
1913 (Presumed)
The Irishman
1925 (Presumed)
£105
The Dreamer
1926 (Presumed)
£105
Baby
1927 (Presumed)
£250
Cora
1928 (Presumed)
£105
The Jolly Miller
1928 (Presumed)
£31 10s.
The Goddess
1938
Locations
Address 41 Priory Road Hampstead London | View on map
1911 (Circa) - 1950 (Circa)
Studio located at The Studio, 43 Cochrane Street St. John's Wood London NW | View on map
1906 - 1910
Exhibitions, Meetings, Awards and other Events
Exhibited at Eighth Exhibition of the International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers (London), 1908
'Portrait'
Exhibited at The Annual Exhibition of the International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers (Twenty-seventh London Exhibition), 1921
'The Jolly Miller'
Exhibited at The International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers Exhibition (Corporation of Manchester Art Gallery), 1905
'Study of Ernest Toy, Esq.'
Exhibited at Corporation of Manchester Art Gallery, Twenty-Fourth Autumn Exhibition, 1906
'Denis Bindon-Ayres, Esq.'
Exhibited at The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts Eighty-Second Annual Exhibition, 1943
'Now Serving in HM Forces'
Exhibited at The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts (Summer Exhibition), 1768-
1906 - 1950
Exhibited 40 times (work also shown posthumously in 1952), showed an average of three works per year.
Exhibited at Exhibition of the Bristol Academy, Annual Spring Exhibition for the Promotion of the Fine Arts, The Sixty-Eighth, 1913
1913
Exhibited at The Eightieth Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1925-1926
2 November 1925 - 6 February 1926
Exhibited at The Eighty-First Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1926-1927
1 November 1926 - 5 February 1927
Exhibited at The Eighty-Second Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1927-1928
31 October 1927 - 4 February 1928
Exhibited at The Eighty-Third Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1928-1829
29 October 1928 - 2 February 1929
Exhibited at The Eighty-Fourth Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1929-1930
4 November 1929 - 8 February 1930
Exhibited at The Royal Scottish Academy Exhibition, 1826-
1929
Exhibited at the annual exhibition 1 time: 1929 (2 works)
Exhibited at The Royal Scottish Academy Exhibition, 1826-
1932 - 1939
Exhibited at the annual exhibition 2 times: 1932 (2 works) and 1939 (2 works)
Exhibited at Palace of Arts Empire Exhibition Scotland, 1938
1938
Institutional and Business Connections
Associate member of Royal Society of British Sculptors
1928 - 1932
Resigned in 1932. Rejoined in 1935.
Fellow of Royal Society of British Sculptors
1938 - 1952
Died in 1952.
Member of Royal Society of British Sculptors
1915 - 1952
Nominated by W. R. Stephens and B. Mackennal.
Had break in membership between 1922 and 1928, and at some point between 1928 and 1935. Died in 1952.
In 1928 Whitney-Smith asked to re-join the society and was reinstated.
Rejoined Royal Society of British Sculptors
1935
Became fellow in 1938.
Unsuccessful in ballot for election to Royal Academy of Arts
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA], despite nominations in 1935, 1943 and 1951.
Personal and Professional Connections
Assistant was William Reid Dick
1908 (Circa)
Employee of William Harbutt
Nominated by Edgar Bundy
22 April 1920
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by William Goscombe John
22 April 1920 - November 1932
Two nominations for RA, in 1920 and 1932, both unsuccessful.
Nominated by (Edgar) Bertram Mackennal
22 April 1920
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by Frederick William Pomeroy
22 April 1920
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by Henry Alfred Pegram
22 April 1920
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by Francis Derwent Wood
22 April 1920
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by Francis Bernard Dicksee
February 1928
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by (Edward) Alfred Briscoe Drury
February 1928
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by George Harcourt
February 1928
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by Oliver Hall
February 1928
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by Frank Short
February 1928
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by Walter Westley Russell
February 1928 - March 1935
Two nominations for RA, in 1928 and 1935, both unsuccessful.
Nominated by Charles Leonard Hartwell
November 1932
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by Samuel John Lamorna Birch
March 1935 - March 1943
Two nominations for Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA], in 1935 and 1943, both unsuccessful.
Nominated by William Russell Flint
March 1935
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by William McMillan
March 1935
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by Sydney Lee
March 1935
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by Henry Raeburn Macbeth-Raeburn
March 1935
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by Terrick Williams
March 1935
For RA; unsuccessful.
Nominated by William Reid Dick
March 1943 - February 1951
Two nominations for Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA], in 1943 and 1951, both unsuccessful.
Nominated by Gilbert Ledward
March 1943
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA]; unsuccessful.
Nominator of Florence Ada Kendrick
1922
For membership of the Royal Society of British Sculptors
Nominator of Christine Gregory
1922
For membership of the Royal Society of British Sculptors
Sources
Catalogue for the Eightieth Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1925
1925
Catalogue for the Eighty-First Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1926
1926
Catalogue for the Eighty-Fourth Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1929
1929
Catalogue for the Eighty-Second Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1927
1927
Catalogue for the Eighty-Third Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1928
1928
Catalogue of the International Society of Sculptors, Painters & Gravers' Exhibition, Corporation of Manchester Art Gallery, 1905
1905
Cat. No. 319, pp. 46, 61
Catalogue of the Twenty-Fourth Autumn Exhibition, 1906
1906
Cat. No. 255, pp. 46, 61
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891
2004
Class: RG12; Piece: 1968; Folio 98; Page 17; GSU roll: 6097078
List of Members: Royal Society of British Sculptors
2008
Palace of Arts
Empire Exhibition
Scotland
1938
The Fine Art Section of the Empire Exhibition
1938
Royal Academy of Arts Nominations for Associateship, 1906-1927
1927
p.178.
Royal Academy of Arts Nominations for Associateship, 1927-1938
1938
p.79.
Royal Academy of Arts Nominations for Associateship, c.1939-c.1961
1961 (Circa)
p.16.
Royal Society of British Sculptors. Annual Report of Council and Accounts For the Year ending 21 December 1922. To be Presented at the Eighteenth Ordinary General Meeting, 1923
26 February 1923
p. 3
Royal Society of British Sculptors. Minutes of Council Meetings No. 2, 1913-1922
1922 (Presumed)
15 March 1915
The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts, Catalogue, 1943
1943
p. 35
The Royal Scottish Academy Exhibitors 1826-1990: A dictionary of artists and their work in the Annual Exhibitions of the Royal Scottish Academy. Volume 4, R-Z
1991
p.193 and p. 419
The Times Digital Archive 1785-1985
2008
The Times, Friday, Jan 11, 1952; pg. 6; Issue 52206; col D; Mr. E. Whitney-Smith
Category: Obituaries (accessed 22 March 2010)
Who was Who
December 2007
‘WHITNEY-SMITH, E.’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U244417, accessed 29 Jan 2009]
Citing this record
'Edwin Whitney-Smith', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib2_1204233721, accessed 23 Mar 2023]
