Houghton Cranford Smith papers, 1890-1991

A large portion of this scrapbook focuses on the period of Smith's life spent studying art at the Cape Cod School of Art in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Included are photographs of his artwork, friends and family in Provincetown and New Mexico, Smith as a child and young man and his first wife. A high school transcript, commencement program and other school pamphlets, autographed menus, correspondence, including postcards and letters to family, customs declarations, exhibition catalogs, newspaper clippings, a passport to Chile, newsletters and Smith's teaching contract from the University of Kansas are also included. Postcards from his first wife, Elena Peralta, discuss the beginning of their relationship.

This scrapbook is mostly comprised of Smith's correspondence from France, particularly letters written to family and friends, in 1913 and 1914. Smith traveled to France in 1913 to attend the Academie Julian, a Parisian art school. The letters remark on his studies and life in France. Also included in this scrapbook is a log from a tandem bicycle trip with classmate Harold P. Browne, an invitation to the Bal Randolphe, a Browne Art Class brochure and a narrative entitled "A Party of Fugitives from France". This final document describes Smith's forced fleeing from France after the French mobilization in 1914.

This scrapbook include notes and correspondence about Smith's travels in South America and home in Chile. He left for South America from Brooklyn on October 19, 1916 with his "Uncle" Steve, a family friend. Smith writes at length about his train trip across Argentina to Los Andes, Chile and about his explorations of Los Andes, Puerto Varas and Santiago. He also writes about his financial difficulties and his artwork.

This scrapbook contains Smith's passport, ship passenger lists and other travel documents, correspondence with family, French identification letters, exhibition catalogs, newspaper clippings and Academie Ozenfant list of classes and student card. Of particular note are correspondence from and a picture of Sir Walter Kitchener, governor of Bermuda, and letters from Elena to her parents-in-law. Topics covered in the correspondence include family life with sons Houghton Jr. and Gerrit and the birth of daughter Florence, financial difficulties, his art studies and the family's travels. During this period the family moved from New York to France in 1926, traveled in Spain, returned to New York in 1928, traveled in both Bermuda and Spain for several months before returning to France and settling in Paris. Smith attended the Academie Ozenfant and studied under Andre L'hote and Amadee Ozenfant.

This scrapbook includes correspondence from Houghton to second wife Laura Gilbert Williams as well as their marriage certificate and passport papers for their honeymoon in Guatemala, sketches, exhibition catalogs, photographs, registers, correspondence and newspaper clippings of his wedding announcement and reviews received for his exhibited paintings. There are also congratulatory letters from family and friends about his successful exhibitions and significant correspondence with the Passedoit Gallery and Homer Saint-Gaudens of the Carnegie Institute regarding the exhibition and purchase of his artwork.

This scrapbook is comprised mostly of correspondence from later in his life as well as newspaper clippings and exhibition programs. There is an especially large section of correspondence from fans and friends congratulating him on his feature article in The American Artist. There are also a substantial number of newspaper articles and correspondence about Houghton's gifted painting to the Butler Institute of American Art. Of note are biographical newspaper articles and a biographical sketch written by his wife, after his death.

This scrapbook consists primarily of handwritten notes about painting with various colors and color charts from circa 1920s. Also included are related assignments from Smith's Color Theory Class and a signed copy of the book "Color" by E. Ambrose Webster, Smith's former art teacher.

This scrapbook contains materials from circa 1920s which include pencil sketches, mostly of nude figures, handwritten art class notes and a price list for Rembrandt oil and water colors.