Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-04
SOCIETY FAILS
TO SEE A LION
CONFUSE ARTIST WITH GREAT
ILLUSTRATOR
sn1edley Who Came, saw and Quietly
Fled Is Not Man to Whom the
World Pays Its
Homage
What,s in a name?

w iitiN = III y hehiA'
Evidently a great deal, especially
when that name very nearly corre-
spends with that of a great mar and
one which is heralded as that man.
And then to suddenly disappear, while
the public is looking for that same
great man. all the time mentally con-
graduating itself that so great man
was to make Los Angeles his home.
w. T. Smedley the great American
illustrator and painter Of New York
city, was easllya and generally con-
founded with the name of Will Larry
more Smedley, member of the Society
of Painters and Illustrators" New
York: american Water Color society"
New York. american Miniature
Painters society,"" New York; "Ameri-
can Water Color society,"" Society of
Artists and Illustrators" and exhibitor
in the National academy And when
the announcement that W. L. Smedley
was to become an instructor in the
School of Art and Design of Los An
geles a small furor was caused in art
circles, and the moths Immediately be-
gan to prepare themselves for singeing
in the great white light that was so
soon to shine in the City of the Angels.
Then the announcement was made
that w. L. Smedley, the well known
artist and illustrator, had come to
Los Angeles on account of i'll health,
and that 1t was through that circum-
stance that he had been secured by a
local institution.
Then came the announcement that
w. L. Smedlev was too ill to take up
his work and that he would be unable
to attend reception given in his honor
at the School of Art and Design to-
gether with Alexander Sterling Calder,
a well known sculptor of Philadelphia,
who had also become a member of the
faculty, Tuesday evening.
Public Is Dee-Iighted
The reception came and went and
many were the solicitous inquiries
made, and people were beginning to
look through the past history of their
families to see if any one had ever
known any member of the great Smed-
ley's family.
This is the story made public, but
while it was distinctly announced by
the school that wv. L. Smedley'' had
been engaged the public and the news
papers Immediately took it for granted
that the great Smedley was to come to
Los Angeles. A sketch of w. T. Smed-
ley was even published, regretting his
inability to take UP work on account
of continued illness.
Now, what's in a name, especially
when it tallies so closely with that of
a great man?
The facts of the case are this, as
stated last night by Malcolm Macleod,
manager of the School of Art and De-
sign:
Will barrymore Smedley, a resident
of Chautauqua, N. Y, with studio in
New York, one day took up the Inter-
national Studio, an art magazine, and
there seeing a notice of work done by
students of the Los Angeles School of
Art and Design Immediately took the
fancy that he would like to live in
Los Angeles. Thereupon w. L. Smed-
ley sat himself down and wrote a note
to Mr.. Macleod asking if he had any
vacancies in the teaching corps of the
school. stating that it had long been
his wish to reside in Los Angeles, and
giving as a guarantee of his ability the
list printed above of the societies of
which he was a member and where he
exhibited.