Sarah Smith Herford (bapt. 14 May 1791 – 30 October 1831), also known as Mrs. John Herford, was an English landscape painter and educator.

Sarah Smith Herford
Born
Sarah Smith

1791
Birmingham, England
Died30 October 1831 (aged 40)[1]
Altrincham, England
NationalityBritish
SpouseJohn Herford
ChildrenLaura, Mary Chance, William Henry, Brooke, Edward
Landscape at Kenilworth by Sarah Smith Herford (1905)

Sarah was the daughter of Edward and Sarah Smith of Birmingham, and was baptised Unitarian in Aston.[2] In 1812, she married John Herford. She founded the Unitarian Boarding School for Girls in Altrincham, Cheshire. Among her children were sons Brooke, Edward, and William Henry Herford,[3] and daughters Mary Chance and Laura Herford. Mary Chance became the mother of the painter Helen Allingham, whom Sarah Herford was said to have inspired.[4]

She died in Altrincham aged only 40. A Birmingham newspaper lamented her loss as "An impressive instance of worth, talents, and acquirements, cut off in their mid-day of energy and usefulness."[1] Sarah Herford's work Landscape at Kenilworth was included in the book Women Painters of the World.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Died". Aris's Birmingham Gazette. 7 November 1831. p. 5. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  2. ^ England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567–1936
  3. ^ Sadler, Michael (1912). "Herford, William Henry" . Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). Vol. 2. pp. 255–256.
  4. ^ James, David (14 March 2016). "20 Beautiful Cottage Paintings by Victorian Artist Helen Allingham". 5-Minute History. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  5. ^ Women Painters of the World on Project Gutenberg
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