Wallace Smith (illustrator)

Smith's film work included screen adaptations of his novels The Captain Hates the Sea and The Gay Desperado and also Two Arabian Knights, The Lost Squadron, Friends and Lovers.

[7] In 1935, Smith's novel Bessie Cotter about a prostitute's life on the streets of Chicago was judged (following a plea of guilty from the publisher, William Heinemann Ltd) to be obscene in England and a fine of £100 plus 100 guineas costs was imposed.

[9] The papers include Smith's manuscripts and published pieces, minor correspondence, drawings and illustrations, photographs, and miscellaneous documents.

[10] A novel of decadence and mystic existentialism, Fantazius Mallare is a story of a mad recluse—a genius sculptor and painter who is at war with reason.

They had wanted to create a test case of the federal obscenity law and have a show trial in order to turn public opinion against it by ridicule.

The plan was to send review copies of Fantazius Mallare to all of the literary lights of the time, and then have Darrow call these people as expert witnesses at the trial.

In 1923 he illustrated The Florentine Dagger by Ben Hecht, and frontispieces for Blackguard by Maxwell Bodenheim and The Shining Pyramid by Arthur Machen.

Dark and obscure, expressionist and linear, dominated by large black fields they reveal influences of later heritage of Beardsley and Harry Clarke at same time his very distinguishable character.

In his 1923 book, The Little Tigress: Tales Out of the Dust of Mexico, he wrote sympathetically about their plight and brought them to life in his trademark stark black-and-white drawings.

The story behind the image is, in 1924, a young talented author and artist, Wallace Smith, asked for and received permission to gain access to the arena during the rodeo for the purpose of making sketches of bucking horses.

The life of that vivid frontispiece of his Oregon Sketches had pleased the bronco-busters so much that they have adopted it as the official poster of the annual Pendleton Round-Up.