According to Walt Reed's "Illustrator in America" William Arthur Smith was born in Toledo, Ohio, educated at the University of Toledo, the Grand Central Art School, The Art Students League, l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts and l'Académie de la Grande Chaumiere!
Smith was either being kicked out of one school after another for partying to hard or he must have had an insatiable desire to learn. I suspect it was the latter. Smith's work is of a quality that often reminds me of Robert Fawcett's work. I must not be alone in that feeling, because Smith has been honoured by having his work collected by the Met and the LA Museum, and has had exhibits in virtually every important museum in the U.S. and one-man shows in twenty European and Asian cities.
He won many top prizes during his career, taught at Pratt, and was post-humously elected to the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame. You can see other examples of Smith's work here.
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