The following archival materials, preserved in the collection of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, provide additional insight into the Smart family across several generations. Spanning legal documents, financial records, and personal correspondence, they help to reconstruct the broader familial, economic, and social context in which the portrait miniature painter John Smart (1742–1811) and his descendants lived. While the 1867 diary of his son John James Smart (1805–1870) offers a detailed account of daily life, these materials extend that view across time, illuminating questions of inheritance, family relationships, and the management of the Smart estate. Together, they enrich our understanding of the family beyond what can be seen in the miniatures themselves.
Archival records can be found on the Spencer Art Reference Library archives website.
John Smart indenture, June 21, 1808
| Creator | John Smart |
| Title | John Smart indenture |
| Date | June 21, 1808 |
| Medium | Ink on paper |
| Size | 13” x 16.25”; 8 leaves |
| Description | Legal agreement outlining provisions for the distribution and management of John Smart’s estate and family assets. |
| Credit Line | The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Archives, Starr Collection of John Smart Family Papers, MSS-026 |
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Mary Smart Caley copy of account current and minutes of
allowance, September 1, 1813
| Creator | William Ruddiman and Joseph Nollekens |
| Title | Mary Smart Caley copy of account current and minutes of allowance |
| Date | September 1, 1813 |
| Medium | Ink on paper |
| Size | 7.875” x 12”; 4 leaves |
| Description | Record of financial allowances and expenditures related to Mary Smart Caley (née Morton, 1783–1851, Smart’s widow), offering insight into the family’s posthumous financial arrangements. |
| Credit Line | The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Archives, Starr Collection of John Smart Family Papers, MSS-026 |
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Full original document Transcript |
Memorandum of John James Smart legacy, November 24, 1814
| Creator | Joseph Nollekens, William Ruddiman, Mary Caley |
| Title | Memorandum of John James Smart legacy |
| Date | November 24, 1814 |
| Medium | Ink on paper |
| Size | 7.25” x 9” |
| Description | Document summarizing the terms and distribution of John James Smart’s (1805–1870) inheritance within the broader family estate. |
| Credit Line | The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Archives, Starr Collection of John Smart Family Papers, MSS-026 |
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Full original document Transcript |
Letter to Thomas Coutts, Esq., & Co., December 1, 1814
| Creator | Joseph Nollekens, William Ruddiman, Mary Caley |
| Title | Letter to Thomas Coutts, Esq., & Co. |
| Date | December 1, 1814 |
| Medium | Ink on paper |
| Size | 7.875” x 12”; 2 leaves |
| Description | Correspondence with a banking firm concerning the administration or transfer of Smart family funds. |
| Credit Line | The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Archives, Starr Collection of John Smart Family Papers, MSS-026 |
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Full original document Transcript |
Summary of June 21, 1808 John Smart indenture, March 28,
1825
| Creator | John James Smart |
| Title | Summary of June 21, 1808 John Smart indenture |
| Date | March 28, 1825 |
| Medium | Ink on paper |
| Size | 7.75” x 12”; 2 leaves |
| Description | Summary of the indenture or covenant of June 21, 1808, between John Smart (1741–1811), William Woolf, Robert Bowyer (1758–1834, guardian to Smart’s children when he was in India), and Sarah Smart (1780–1852, Smart’s daughter), in which Smart outlines provisions for the legacy from his estate for Sarah and her heirs. |
| Credit Line | The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Archives, Starr Collection of John Smart Family Papers, MSS-026 |
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Full original document Transcript |
John James Smart receipt, April 24, 1828
| Creator | John James Smart |
| Title | John James Smart receipt |
| Date | April 24, 1828 |
| Medium | Ink on paper |
| Size | 9” x 3.5”; 1 leaf |
| Description | Receipt documenting a financial transaction, reflecting the ongoing management of inherited or personal assets. |
| Credit Line | The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Archives, Starr Collection of John Smart Family Papers, MSS-026 |
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Full original document Transcript |
Residuary account for personal estate of John Smart,
October 28, 1853
| Creator | John James Smart |
| Title | Residuary account for personal estate of John Smart |
| Date | October 28, 1853 |
| Medium | Ink on paper |
| Size | 8” x 13”; 2 leaves |
| Description | Completed and executed form that John James Smart submitted for duties and taxes for retaining the residue of personal estates of his father John Smart and with notations of elements that were affected by the death of his half-sister Sarah Smart (1781–1853). |
| Credit Line | The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Archives, Starr Collection of John Smart Family Papers, MSS-026 |
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Edward Smirke letter to John James Smart, October 28,
[1853]
| Creator | Edward Smirke |
| Title | Edward Smirke letter to John James Smart |
| Date | October 28, [1853] |
| Medium | Ink on paper |
| Size | 4.5” x 7”; 2 leaves |
| Description | Personal correspondence from Edward Smirke (1795–1875) to John James Smart, offering a portrait of Smart’s father, John Smart, which was among the possessions of Smirke’s sister Mary (d. 1853), a friend of Sarah Smart (1780–1852). |
| Credit Line | The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Archives, Starr Collection of John Smart Family Papers, MSS-026 |
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Full original document Transcript |
John James Smart letter to Edward Smirke, before December
13, 1853
| Creator | John James Smart |
| Title | John James Smart letter to Edward Smirke |
| Date | before December 13, 1853 |
| Medium | Ink on paper |
| Size | 1 leaf |
| Description | Letter from John James Smart (1805–1870) to Edward Smirke (1795–1875), thanking him for the offer of a portrait of his late father, John Smart (1741–1811). |
| Credit Line | The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Archives, Starr Collection of John Smart Family Papers, MSS-026 |
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Full original document Transcript |
John James Smart letter to Edward Smirke, December 13,
1853
| Creator | John James Smart |
| Title | John James Smart letter to Edward Smirke |
| Date | December 13, 1853 |
| Medium | Ink on paper |
| Size | 3.8” x 6.375”; 1 leaf |
| Description | Letter from John James Smart to Edward Smirke (1795–1875), thanking him for the gift of a portrait of his late father, John Smart. Smirke was the brother of Mary Smirke (d. 1853), a friend of Sarah Smart (1780–1852). The portrait mentioned was an oil painting of Smart, ca. 1784, originally attributed to Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792) but later re-attributed to Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828) and Mather Brown (1761–1831). It was held by the Joslyn Museum in Omaha. |
| Credit Line | The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Archives, Starr Collection of John Smart Family Papers, MSS-026 |
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Full original document Transcript |
George Bayley letter to Elizabeth Smart, June 13, 1855
| Creator | George Bayley |
| Title | George Bayley letter to Elizabeth Smart |
| Date | June 13, 1855 |
| Medium | Ink on paper |
| Size | 4.5” x 7.125”; 1 leaf |
| Description | Letter from George Bayley (1807–1857) to his sister Elizabeth (1810–1893), wife of John James Smart (1805–1870), saying he is coming from Andover to Essex in response to her summons sent because of their uncle’s ill health. |
| Credit Line | The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Archives, Starr Collection of John Smart Family Papers, MSS-026 |
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John James Smart draft on the Oriental Bank Corporation,
July 2, 1860
| Creator | John James Smart |
| Title | John James Smart draft on the Oriental Bank Corporation |
| Date | July 2, 1860 |
| Medium | Ink on paper |
| Size | 8” x 4”; 1 leaf |
| Description | Financial instrument or draft indicating John James Smart’s engagement with banking and investment practices. |
| Credit Line | The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Archives, Starr Collection of John Smart Family Papers, MSS-026 |
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Full original document Transcript |
Diary of John James Smart, from the year 1867
| Creator | John James Smart |
| Title | Diary of John James Smart (1805–1870), from the year 1867 |
| Object Date | 1867 |
| Medium | Ink on paper |
| Description | Smart records visiting and other social activities, church attendance, news of family and friends, the weather, and happenings on the farm near Brentwood and Romford, County Essex, England. |
| Credit Line | The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Archives, Starr Collection of John Smart Family Papers, MSS-026 |
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Full original document Transcript |
| Catalogue Entry | UPDATE TO DOI https://nelson-atkins.org/starr/contents/Volume-4/appendix/essay/ |