F. Berkeley (Frank Berkeley) Smith

Born in 1869, Frank Berkeley Smith wrote and illustrated books that drew on his time in Paris, especially among the artists, students, and street life of the Latin Quarter. His best-known works include The Real Latin Quarter and A Village of Vagabonds, both remembered for their lively sense of place and their close-up view of everyday life.

Smith also worked as an artist. Library of Congress records list him as the artist of an 1896 St. Nicholas Christmas Number poster created with Maud Humphreys, which helps show the range of his creative work beyond books.

He died in 1931. Although he is not widely read today, his writing still offers a warm, observant glimpse of turn-of-the-century Paris through the eyes of someone who knew its cafés, studios, and wandering characters firsthand.