author
John Thomas Smith
1766–1833
Best remembered as "Antiquity Smith," he captured old London in words and images with a sharp eye for its streets, buildings, and characters. His books mix local history, art, and vivid anecdote in a way that still feels lively today.
3 Audiobooks
A Book for a Rainy Day; or, Recollections of the Events of the Years 1766-1833
by John Thomas Smith
Lives of Famous London Beggars With Forty Portraits of the Most Remarkable.
by John Thomas Smith
About the author
Born in London on 23 June 1766, he trained as an artist and engraver and went on to build a career as a painter, draughtsman, and antiquarian. He became especially known for recording the look and life of London, from its older buildings to its everyday street scenes.
He wrote several works that preserved details of the city and its people, and he is often remembered for Nollekens and His Times, a lively and sometimes cutting account of the sculptor Joseph Nollekens and the art world around him. His writing has lasted because it combines close observation with a strong personal voice.
Later in life, he served as Keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum. He died on 8 March 1833, leaving behind a body of work that remains valuable to readers interested in London history, British art, and the texture of daily life in an earlier age.