Natalie Smith Henry

Natalie Smith Henry (January 4, 1907 – February 20, 1992) was an American artist who worked mostly in Chicago. She is best known for her Depression-era post office murals commissioned by the United States Department of the Treasury.

Early life and education Natalie Smith Henry was the first of five children born to Natalie Smith and Samuel Ewell Henry, a circuit clerk and Hot Spring County judge. Henry's interest in art first began at age twelve following the death of her mother. Although her interest began as a creative way to channel her grief, at age fifteen Henry began formally studying illustration at the International Correspondence Schools of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Following her graduation from Malvern High School in 1925, Henry attended Galloway College before moving to Illinois in 1928 to attend the prestigious School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1937, after taking classes part-time for several years, Henry finally earned a four-year degree from the Hubert Ropp School of Art.

Career

Henry first began displaying her work at a national level in 1935, when she exhibited Picnic at the Annual Exhibition of Artists of Chicago and Vicinity. The following year, Man with Shells was shown alongside the work of notable European and American artists Wassily Kandinsky, Edward Hopper, and Wood.

Death and legacy Henry returned to her hometown of Malvern, Arkansas in 1985 and remained there until her death in 1992. Currently, her works are held in the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. and the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale, Arkansas.