Matilda Smith

Matilda Smith (30 July 1854 – 29 December 1926) was a botanical artist whose work appeared in Curtis's Botanical Magazine for over forty years.

Biography

Smith especially admired the work of Walter Hood Fitch, who was then the lead artist for Curtis's Botanical Magazine. In this he follows a pattern first noticeable in the Victorian era of progressively devaluing botany and botanical art as women entered the field professionally.

The plant genera Smithiantha (in the family Gesneriaceae) and Smithiella (viz. Smithiella myriantha, a synonym of Pilea myriantha) were named in her honor. The Matilda Smith Memorial Prize sponsored by the Kew Guild in her memory is given to the best practical student.