Jessie Willcox Smith was born and raised in Philadelphia. Smith joined her cousin in Cincinnati to attend high school and went on to briefly hold a job as a kindergarten teacher but quickly learned that childcare was not an appealing career path for her. Having tried her hand at sketching to successful results, despite a lack of prior training, she opted to pursue an education in the arts.
As an illustrator, Jessie Willcox Smith received great respect and achieved financial success. Along with her companions, she was a member of the prestigious Philadelphia Plastic Club, an organization of women artists that held significant lectures and exhibitions.
Smith’s robust career included the illustration of nearly 40 books including such favorites as Little Women and The Water Babies. Smith’s career lasted until 1933, when her eyesight began to fail. Smith died at Cogshill, a house adjacent to Cogslea where she lived with Henrietta Cozens, in 1935. Cozens inherited Smith’s estate and lived five more years at Cogshill. (Illustration History)
Endpapers
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