Smith, Charles Hamilton, Lieutenant-Colonel

Collection of watercolor drawings of North and South America and the West Indies. [Plymouth, England, first half 19th-century]

Approximately 424 watercolor landscape drawings (images mostly 7 1/2 x 11 1/2 in.; 190 x 292 mm), many signed "CHS" with captions inscribed below; occasional light marginal soiling or spotting. Bound in 4 volumes, contemporary black half-morocco and marbled boards, gilt-stamped titles on spines; extremities worn.

James Strohn Copley (bookplate)

Condition as described in catalogue entry.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Charles Hamilton Smith (1776-1859) was born at Vrommen-hofen in East Flanders. Having pursued military studies at the Austrian academy for artillery and engineers, at Malines, and in Louvain, he volunteered for the British forces, and served in the 8th Light Dragoons. He later went to the West Indies with the British 60th Regiment in 1797, and he was engaged in military engineering duties in Curaçao in 1808. Smith's ability to sketch and draw in the field  was highlighted during the last phase of the Napoleonic Wars when he sketched the frontier near Brussels, and the Duke of Wellington used these drawings and reports when he first visited Waterloo.

Retiring on half-pay in 1820, Smith enjoyed some further thirty-nine years studying natural history. Settling in Plymouth, he continued to travel extensively, recording his observations. History, zoology, and archaeology were his favorite subjects and he left "twenty thick volumes of manuscript notes and thousands of his own watercolour drawings, were were always at the free disposal of a student" (DNB).

The drawings range from pencil sketches with green and gray watercolor, to elaborate multi-color compositions.