Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith (1846–1923) was born in London, England, and received his first artistic training from his father, John Bell-Smith, before studying at the South Kensington School of Art. He immigrated to Canada in 1867, the year of Confederation, and soon established himself as both a painter and teacher. He taught at the Toronto Normal School, a teacher training school that also became a centre for cultural and scientific collections which later evolved into the Royal Ontario Museum and the Ontario College of Art and Design (now OCAD University). Bell-Smith also taught at the Ontario School of Art and later became principal of the Alma College School of Art in London, Ontario. Through these positions, he played a significant role in shaping early Canadian art education.

Village Morning, c.1895 reflects Bell-Smith’s ability to capture not only the grandeur of the Canadian landscape but also the intimacy of everyday rural life. Executed in watercolour on paper and protected by museum glass, the work measures 10.5 x 14.25 inches and is signed on the bottom right. With its delicate washes of colour, the painting conveys the freshness of a new day, animating cottages and trees with a gentle play of light.

He exhibited regularly with the Ontario Society of Artists, the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and the Art Association of Montreal. His works were also shown internationally, including at the Royal Academy in London. Bell-Smith’s reputation grew during his lifetime, and he was respected not only as a painter but also as a figure who advanced the profile of Canadian art at home and abroad. By the time of his death in 1923, he had left behind a wide and varied body of work that captured both the sublime and the familiar in Canadian life. His Rocky Mountain paintings remain landmarks in the history of Canadian landscape art, while his watercolours and village scenes reveal a quieter sensibility. Today, his works are held in major public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada.