Sculpture, 'Tmith'; wood, English, Sam Smith, 1973

Main figure compositely consists of part of a lion's body and part of a woman's body. Six detachable small wooden figures can be placed in any order on the back of the lion, with one of the six placed in the hands painter's palette whic the woman holds above her head in her left hand. In her right hand she holds a pink staff.

The lion's head showing teeth and tongue is painted in blues and greens, the mane is of sisal. The body and hind legs are of natural wood. On each side of the body are small blocks (one each side) with sisal underneath and rope holding the sisal on above.

On the left side of the body is a metal strip nailed on and marked 'HERSHE SYRUP'. There is also a group painting of a face on yellow, named 'Frederik', which is a half-sailor, half-horse figure on blue and grey painted on a red heart. Painted text next to this reads 'MEMORIES HMS INDEFATIGIBLE'. A second face painted on blue is accompanied by text reading 'WITH FONDEST RECOLLECTIONS'.

On the right side of the body, painted on pink is text reading 'Instructions. This creature is called TMITH. Always lift by placing hands under body. The six characters viz: Strong Man, Educated Man, Rich Man, Poor Man, Silly Man, Naive Man are included in any order by being placed on the pegs provided 5 on the back and 1 held aloft. Treat all parts with care at all times. Took a great time to make. Thank you Sam Smith. Genuine. England. 1/73'. There is also a tiger's head titled 'The Daughter of the Regiment'. There is a strip of purple velvet across the rump and pieces around the ankles. The ankles are decorated with sequins, metal and green threads. The feet are painted green with pink toenails and orange heels. The tail is of rope with string, wooden beads and prange nylon wool decoration.

The woman's figure is of natural wood with painted facial features, blue round the eyes, purple mouth, a red strip on the left of the face and brown on the right. A second face is painted on the left-back of the woman's head. A metal disc is nailed above the right eyes. The back of the head is decorated with 5 pegs and rope and on the head is a piece of maroon velvet under the blockboard platform which is held on the head and left hand. The platform has underneath 5 plastic discs nailed on, a strip of green velvet pinned round the edge with 20 sequins, 9 knotted cords, four of which has a glass bead. The top is painted and signed Sam Smith and has 2 metal discs and one heart-shaped piece nailed on. There is a necklace of wood painted in white, yellow and brown stripes. There are metal pieces nailed to the body, 4 on the chest and one on the shoulder. Across the body is a blue band and a white and black checked band running from left to right and a black/gold/brown tape across from front to back of the right shoulder. The bust is of two cones of navy blue velveteen decorated with a strip each of lighter blue velvet ribbon and sequins. The left has a piece of metal nailed on and a pice of string with 5 beads and a bit of metal. The right arm has a piece of string with 3 beads and a picture of a fairy painted on pink. The fist is closed holding a mauve stick with a gold end and decorated with pink velvet ribbon and 2 sequins. The left arm has a string bracelet decorated with 6 blue beads and 12 pieces of mother of pearl.

This piece was commissioned by the Crafts Advisory Council.
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Sam Smith was born in 1908 in Southampton. He had always wanted to be an artist and studied at Bournemouth, and alter Westminster Art Schools. He struggled to make a living during the Depression of the 1930s, doing odd jobs, whilst exhibiting his paintings in galleries and art clubs. However, it was as a result of seeing an exhibition of folk toys from around the world at the Little Gallery – the only craft gallery of its kind in London at the time – that he began making small, often humorous wooden items.

After the Second World War, he continued making wooden toys, particularly boats. A display of these at the opening of the Festival Hall was spotted by an American businessman. It was he who subsequently introduced Sam Smith’s work to the States. Here, his toys became popular in the 1960s, being exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in New York amongst other venues. His work was not recognised in Britain until the 1970s.

Sam Smith lived above Dartmouth Harbour in Devon, close to his first love – boats. He died in 1983. There are examples of his work at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Rochdale Art Gallery and in the Crafts Council Collection, London.

Commissioned by the Crafts Advisory Committee

The Museum has a small collection of wooden toys designed and made by the craftsman, Sam Smith (1908-1983). His work has been described as “sculpture toys for grown-ups”, for they were not really made to be played with by children. However, they are interesting pieces of wood-carving, making clever use of additional materials such as string, beads and printed paper. They were made to be admired for their craftsmanship and also, in most cases, to make you smile.

“Tmith” is a typical example of Sam Smith’s later work. He began making such sculptures around 1955, and by the 1970s they had become quite large, with unusual themes.

MISC.48-1973