Born into a prominent Philadelphia family, Anita Smith began her art training in 1909 with Benedict Osnis in Philadelphia, and continued her education at the Academie Julian in Paris, and at studios in Venice, Cairo and Rome. In 1912 she worked briefly with William Merritt Chase and with John Carlson at the Art Students League in New York. In 1913 she enrolled in Carlson's summer class at Woodstock, New York, and became a part time resident. There, working in an impressionist style, Smith quickly emerged as one of the community's talented young painters, and later developed parallel careers as an herbalist and writer. In addition to Woodstock History and Hearsay (1959), she authored The Landscape of History, and The Quakers and Shakers: The Quest of Abel Knight.

A landscape artist, with an interest in buildings and history, Smith painted in such diverse locales as New Hope, Pennsylvania; Provincetown, Massachusetts; Woodstock, New York; Charleston, South Carolina; Europe; and even Mexico. In 1919 her Houses in the Dunes won a Lambert Purchase Prize at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Smith's work was also exhibited at the National Academy of Design, the Carnegie Institute, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the J. B. Speed Museum.

Smith's visit to Charleston may have been prompted by her friendship with Alfred Hutty, who alternated residences between Charleston and Woodstock, and often recommended the city to others. Though nothing is known of her stay, her visit is recorded in paintings of two of its historic buildings. Widely admired for its architectural distinction, St. Michael's was a frequent choice for artists. The alley behind the house at 91 East Bay was less accessible, suggesting that Smith was escorted there, probably by Hutty, who painted the house from a similar view, possibly during Smith's visit. NRS

Biography courtesy of The Charleston Renaissance Gallery, www.antiquesandfineart.com/charleston