Smith was born near York to William Smith and went to school at Leeds. He then studied under landscape engraver
W.B. Cooke along with his nephew
William Edward Shuckard. Together they took an interest in insects, especially the ants and bees. In 1841, following the death of William Bainbridge, he became a curator of the collections and the library of the Entomological Society of London. As an engraver, he produced copies based on the works of Turner, Constable and David Roberts. He also worked with Gray arranging Hymenoptera in the British Museum. In 1849 he succeeded Edward Doubleday as a member of the zoology department. He then gave up his artwork but produced the plates for Wollaston's
Insecta Maderensia (1854) and for papers in the Transactions of the Entomological Society. In 1875, he was promoted to Assistant Keeper of Zoology. His publications included
Catalogue of Hymenopterous Insects (7 parts, 1853–1859) and parts 5 (1851) and 6 (1852) of the
Nomenclature of Coleopterous Insects. In these volumes, he catalogued hundreds of bees. Many of these bees he named, including
Bombus frigidus,
Halictus coriaceus, and
Nomia nasalis, which he discovered. Smith was president of the
Entomological Society of London, 1862–3. He died on 16 February 1879 after undergoing surgery for gallstones. He was buried at Finchley Cemetery. ==Bibliography==