“S” is for Smith, Alice Ravenel Huger (1876-1958)

“S” is for Smith, Alice Ravenel Huger (1876-1958). Artist. Born in Charleston, Smith emerged as the leading artist of the Charleston Renaissance. Through her writings and art she helped to disseminate the history and charm of her native lowcountry to a national audience. Through her evocative imagery, especially in watercolor, Smith fueled the Charleston Renaissance, the cultural and economic revival of the city. In The Dwelling Houses of Charleston, South Carolina (1917) her illustrations accompanied her father's house histories. This volume was critical to the evolution of Charleston's preservation movement. It not only instilled pride among Charlestonians for their architectural heritage but also brought national attention to the city. Alice Ravenel Huger Smith’s most ambitious project was A Carolina Rice Plantation of the Fifties (1936) which combined essays by others with thirty color reproductions of her watercolors.