E. Boyd (Elmer Boyd) Smith

Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1860 and raised in Boston, E. Boyd Smith studied art in Paris at the Académie Julian with Gustave Boulanger and Jules Joseph Lefebvre. He went on to build a career as a painter, illustrator, and writer, signing his work as E. Boyd Smith.

Smith is remembered especially for children's books, and sources describe him as an important figure in the development of the modern picture book because his illustrations often carried much of the storytelling. He illustrated more than fifty books and also wrote his own, drawing on subjects such as mythology, colonial American history, and classic tales.

Later in life he settled in Wilton, Connecticut. He died in 1943, leaving behind a body of work that still stands out for its lively draftsmanship, sense of movement, and gift for turning stories into memorable visual scenes.