Clara Sheldon Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clara Sheldon Smith (July 1862 – November 1939)[1] was a photographer based in California in the late 19th and early 20th century known for portrait photography and photographs of the Northern California landscape.[2]
Career
Clara Sheldon Smith set up the Ramona Art Studio in Marysville, California in the Sacramento Valley.[3] Ramona Art Studio, at first run out of a tent, focused on portraiture. At the turn of the century Smith had a contract with the city of Marysville to photograph its prisoners. From 1900 to 1908 she photographed over 500 local criminals.[4] After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Smith documented the damage in a panoramic photograph which she shot from high up in a helium-filled balloon.[5] In 1908 Smith sold her studio to C.C. Green and retired from photography.[6]
Collections
Smith's work is held in permanent collections including:
- The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California[7]
- Community Memorial Museum of Sutter County, Yuba City, California[8]