Catterson Smith, Stephen (1806 – 1872) – Three Sisters, the Youngest Making a Portrait of the Artist.

This is a fine example of the chalk portrait drawings that made Catterson Smith's name in the late 1820s and early 1830s. Many of these drawings, including a number of Royal commissions, were published as prints. Catterson Smith was born in Yorkshire but studied at the Royal Academy Schools in London and then in Paris. His early career was spent in London and in the South West, so this commission must have been completed in England. In 1840 he moved to Ireland, settling in Dublin and marrying the miniature painter Anne Wyke (d.1886). He was Portrait Painter to the Lord Lieutenant of Dublin for 30 years and twice served as President of the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts.