Colonel Carter's Christmas

F. Hopkinson Smith (1838-1915) was an American author, artist, and engineer, known for his diverse talents across multiple fields. As a writer, he gained popularity for his charming, often sentimental novels and short stories, such as Colonel Carter of Cartersville and Caleb West: Master Diver. His works often reflected themes of Southern life and genteel society, infused with humor and warmth. Beyond literature, Smith was also a skilled engineer, contributing to significant projects like the foundation of the Statue of Liberty. Additionally, he was an accomplished painter and illustrator, further cementing his legacy as a multifaceted creative figure of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Francis Hopkinson Smith was an American writer, artist, and engineer. He laid the groundwork for the Statue of Liberty, penned numerous novels, and garnered accolades for his paintings. F. Hopkinson Smith was the great uncle of G. E. Kidder Smith, an American architect, novelist, and photographer who lived from 1913 to 1997. Smith was born in Baltimore, Maryland on October 23, 1838, as a descendant of Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He graduated from the Boys' Latin School in Maryland. His first popular work was Col. Carter of Cartersville (1891). His novels Tom Grogan (1896) and Caleb West (1898) were the best-selling books in the United States in their respective years of release. On March 1, 1915, Smith notified the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, that his collection of fifteen original paintings had been shipped for an exhibition at the Club from June 8 to June 26, 1915. It was his first trip out West. On April 7, 1915, he died in his New York City residence.