The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 19, 2026

A vertically oriented oil painting depicts an older woman with a light skin tone from the shoulders up, facing our right in profile. She wears a black garment, a white lace collar, and a white ruffled bonnet with a large bow. Her face features deep-set eyes, a prominent nose, and flushed cheeks. Smooth brushstrokes blend her into the dark brown background, while light from our right illuminates her face and cap.

Portrait of the Artist's Mother (Lydia Wardwell Smith)

probably mid-1800s

Allen Smith, Jr.

(American, 1810–1891)
America, Ohio, Cleveland
oil on canvas
Unframed: 65.5 x 59.6 cm (25 13/16 x 23 7/16 in.)
Gift of Miss Carrie Bell Smith 1918.569
Location: Not on view
  • granddaughter of the artist.
  • "Accessions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 5, no. 8/9 (1918): 82-85. Mentioned: p. 82 www.jstor.org
    F. A. W. "The Department of Colonial Art." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 6, no. 2 (1919): 30. Reproduced: Front Matter; Mentioned: p. 30 www.jstor.org
    Sackerlotzky, Rotraud, Mary Sayre Haverstock, Nan Grossman. F.C. Gottwald and the Old Bohemians. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Artists Foundation, 1993. Reproduced: p. 8; Mentioned: p. 7
  • Exhibition of Ohio Painters. The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH (organizer) (April 4-30, 1967).
    Painters of Ohio's Past. Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH (organizer) (June 5-July 5, 1953); Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH (July 17-August 16, 1953); Akron Art Museum, Akron, OH (September 1-22, 1953); The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH (October 4-26, 1953).
    The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 26-October 4, 1936).
  • {{cite web|title=Portrait of the Artist's Mother (Lydia Wardwell Smith)|url=false|author=Allen Smith, Jr.|year=probably mid-1800s|access-date=19 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1918.569