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Finding Aid to the Henry Roy William Smith Papers
BANC MSS 72/32
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
The Bancroft Library
Title: Henry Roy William Smith papers
Creator:
Smith, H.R.W (Henry Roy William), 1891-
Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 72/32
Physical Description:
18 Linear Feet
(10 cartons, 11 boxes, 3 oversize boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Date (bulk): 1911-1971 (bulk 1926-1960)
Abstract: The Henry Roy William Smith papers (1911-1971) document Smith’s scholarship and career in classical archaeology, with emphasis
on his study of Greek vases.
Physical Location: Many of The Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Language of Materials: Collection materials are in English.
Collection is open for research.
Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction
of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions,
privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond
that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for
any use rests exclusively with the user.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the
Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Processed by Joanna M. Black in 2014.
[Identification of item], Henry Roy William Smith papers, 72/32c The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Henry Roy William Smith papers were given to The Bancroft Library by John MacDonald Smith in 1971.
Henry Roy William Smith (1891-1971) was a professor of Latin and Classical Archaeology at the University of California, Berkeley
as well as a leading authority on Greek vase painting. His contributions to the field include two important fascicules of
the Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum focusing on artifacts held in San Francisco and Berkeley, as well as the book New Aspects of
the Menon Painter (1929) which launched the University of California Publications in Classical Archaeology, a series Smith
made major contributions to in 1932, 1944, 1951, and 1959.
Smith was born in England in 1891 and educated at St. Paul's School, London and Pembroke College, Oxford. He began his career
as Associate Professor of Classics at St. Francis Xavier in 1914 but shortly thereafter left to serve in the British army
during the First World War. When the war concluded, Smith returned to St. Francis Xavier before going on to Princeton to serve
as an instructor and later Assistant Professor of Classics. In 1928, he came to the University of California, Berkeley as
Assistant Professor of Latin, later becoming Associate Professor in 1930 and finally, in 1931, Professor of Latin and Classical
Archaeology. He retired in 1958 as Emeritus Associate Curator of Classical Archaeology, still pursuing his research in places
like Rio de Janeiro and England. Smith maintained a strong friendship with the vase scholar J. D. Beazley, whose publication
Development of Attic Black-Figure is dedicated to Smith.
Smith, like other scholars who represented a generation of classical archaeologists from the first half of the twentieth century,
distinguished himself in the study of Greek and Latin literature before focusing on ancient art. His expertise in the field
was vast, with discussions about vases examining not just the artifact itself but topics such as Greek siege warfare and infant
burials.
The Henry Roy William Smith papers (1911-1971) document Smith’s scholarship and career in classical archaeology, with emphasis
on his study of Greek vases. The collection is divided into two series: (1) correspondence, (2) research and reference material.
The bulk of the collection consists of Smith’s notebooks containing his handwritten notes, sketches, reference photographs,
and other material relating to Greek artifacts. To conserve space, papers were removed from select notebooks and placed into
file folders. Within these folders, notebooks were assigned consecutive numbers (“Notebook 1”, “Notebook 2”, etc.) by the
processing archivist to assist researchers. Notebooks with information written or attached on the notebook itself (such as
notations or documents glued to the inside cover) remain intact in original condition. Although Smith was a Professor of Latin
and Archaeology at the University of California, Berkeley, the collection contains very little in the way of teaching or instruction
material.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Smith, Henry Roy William--Archives
Greece -- Antiquities
Vase-painting, Greek
Classical antiquities
Vases, Greek