George Smith was a genre painter and a product of the Royal Academy Schools. He was also a pupil of Charles West Cope R.A., a painter of historical and biblical subjects. Smith was first employed by Cope to help him with painting some of the fresco in the new Palace of Westminster.

Smith’s first painting to be exhibited was “The Gypsy Girl”, which was shown at the British Institution in 1847. From that date he exhibited seventy-eight paintings at the Royal Academy and many more at various other venues.

In many ways his work resembles that of Thomas Faed in its colouring and treatment. It was the type of genre painting that was very popular before the Victorians began to prefer genre pictures that presented a highly romanticised version of country life in direct opposition the realities of the rural scene. Works by the artist can be found in the Victoria and Albert Museum.