The nephew of James David Smillie, he engraved the portrait of Running Antelope (1899 United States five-dollar Silver Certificate) and the presidents Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Woodrow Wilson, and George Washington.

Several of his engravings appeared on banknotes, including the Black Eagle Silver Certificate, the United States one-hundred-thousand-dollar bill, and Electricity as the Dominant Force in the World.

When he was 17 years old he learned engraving by working with his uncle James David Smillie[2] at the American Banknote Company.

[4] Smillie engraved the portrait of Chief Tatoka-Inyanka (Running Antelope) of the Hunkpapa Sioux which is found on the large size 1899 United States five-dollar Silver Certificate.

[6][7] He also engraved the portraits of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant which are found on the obverse of the 1899 series Black Eagle Silver Certificate.