Smith, Erwin E. (Erwin Evans), 1886-1947

Photographer.

Erwin Evan Smith was born on August 22, 1886, in Honey Grove, Texas. Smith’s family relocated to Bonham, a small town in North Texas, when he was a child and he was introduced to cowboys and cattle ranching. Ranching fascinated Smith as a boy; he often painted or sketched elements of ranch life. When he went to work as a cowhand in his teenage years, he carried a camera with him to document the lives of cowboys.

In 1904 Smith left Texas for Chicago, where he studied sculpture under Lorado Taft. He also studied under Bella Lyon Pratt in Boston during the early 1900s, but he often returned to the Southwest to photograph ranchers and cowboys. In 1908, 40 of his photographs were shown in Boston; the success of the show led to a collaboration with the Sunday editor of the Boston Herald, George Pattullo. Pattullo wrote western stories that were published in popular magazines and accompanied by Smith’s photographs.

In 1914 Smith returned to Texas to start his own ranch. The ranch failed, however, and he was bankrupt by 1917. He spent the remainder of his life living quietly outside of Bonham, where he died on Sept. 4, 1947.

Erwin Evans Smith was born on August 22, 1886 in Honey Grove, Texas. Smith's family relocated to Bonham, a small town in North Texas, when he was a child and he was introduced to cowboys and cattle ranching.

When he went to work as a cowhand in his teenage years, he carried a camera with him to document the lives of cowboys. In the early 1900s, Smith studied sculpture in Chicago and Boston, but often returned to the Southwest to photograph ranchers and cowboys. In 1908, 40 of his photographs were shown in Boston; the success of the show led to a collaboration with the Sunday editor of the Boston Herald, George Pattullo, who wrote stories to accompany Smith's photographs. In 1914, Smith returned to Texas to start his own ranch. The ranch failed, however, and he was bankrupt by 1917. He spent the remainder of his life living quietly outside of Bonham, where he died on Sept. 4, 1947.