Painter (gouache), draughtsman, watercolourist. Genre scenes, still-lifes, landscapes, waterscapes, urban landscapes.
Francis Smith was a pupil of J. Ribeiro the Younger, Luciano Freire and Constantino Fernandes in Lisbon, then of Jean-Paul Laurens at the Académie Julian in Paris. Although he lived in Paris, he retained his Portuguese nationality and made many visits to his native country.

He featured in many collective exhibitions including: Free Art, Lisbon (1911, 1934); Exposition Universelle, Paris (1937); Portugal in the work of Francis Smith, Portuguese Cultural Centre, Gulbenkian Foundation, Paris (1969); drawings, Casa de Portugal, Paris (1972). He also participated in the Salon d'Automne, Salon des Tuileries and Salon des Peintres Témoins de leur Temps (Salon for Contemporary Painters), in Paris. A Francis Smith Prize has been created in his memory.

He painted the shores of the Mediterranean where he spent so much time, and scenes portraying the joy of life itself in is own naive style. His native Portugal played an important role in his work.
Museum and Gallery Holdings

Lisbon (MM)
Lisbon (Mus. do Chiado)
Paris (Mus. des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie)
Paris (Mus. du Petit Palais)