# Frank Vining Smith artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/frank-vining-smith/
Profile generated: 2026-05-25T05:22:05.552Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1879-08-25
- Death date: 1967-07-30
- Nationality: American
- Common media: oil painting

## About Frank Vining Smith

Frank Vining Smith (1879–1967) was an American painter born in Whitman, Massachusetts, best known for his accomplished marine scenes depicting sailing ships. Active during the first half of the twentieth century, Smith built a reputation for detailed renderings of clipper ships, schooners, and other sailing vessels that appealed to yachting enthusiasts and maritime collectors. His paintings are held at the Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, Massachusetts, and the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club in Michigan, reflecting the strong patronage he received from American yachting communities. Smith's work sits within the broader tradition of American marine painting, a genre that has sustained collector interest from the nineteenth century through the present day.

## Common works and media

Smith's output consists primarily of oil on canvas and oil on board marine paintings. Typical subjects include full-rigged sailing ships, clipper ships, schooners, racing yachts, and harbor or coastal scenes. Works range from smaller cabinet-size panels to larger exhibition-scale canvases. Reproductions and prints of his more popular compositions also circulate in the secondary market and should be distinguished from original paintings during appraisal.

## Market and appraisal context

Frank Vining Smith's paintings appear regularly at auction, typically classified under Marine Art or American Paintings. Works depicting fully rigged sailing vessels—especially clipper ships and racing yachts—are the most commonly encountered and generally the most competitive at sale. Provenance linking a work to a yacht club or notable maritime collection can add measurable premium. As with most twentieth-century American painters, appraisal value depends on the painting's size, condition, the specificity of the ship depicted, and the quality of documentation. Collectors should verify attribution carefully, as marine painting has a long tradition of workshop and follower production.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines identity research from Getty ULAN, VIAF, Wikidata, and the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History with Invaluable auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q27967653
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Vining_Smith
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500018008
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/95791526/
- RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/73408
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2010022311