Lady Smith Battles the Forces of Napoleon (Front Cover) (Signed) (Original)

Artist: James E McConnell
Medium: Gouache on Board
Size: 15" x 15" (390mm x 390mm)
Date: 1969
Signature: Signed in white paint lower right of image
Code: McConnellLadySMH

This is the Signed unique original Gouache painting by James E McConnell.

Juana María de los Dolores de León Smith, better known as Lady Smith, fought with her husband colonel Harry Smith in Spain against the forces of Napoleon. The Town of Ladysmith in South Africa is named after her.

After becoming orphaned during the 4th siege of Badajoz at the age of 14, Juana and her sister came across British soldiers who had liberated the town. Juana married Captain Harry Smith a few days later, and instead of accepting to be sent to the security of his family, instead accompanied him throughout his military career to postings in South Africa.

Juana Smith and her husband are the central characters in the historic novel The Spanish Bride (published 1940) by Georgette Heyer.

This painting appeared as the front cover of Look and Learn no. 377 (5 April 1969). Professionally matted ready for framing.

• Artist Biography
  James E McConnell (1903 - 1995)
  Well known as a paperback and book jacket artist, particularly for Westerns, James McConnell never turned his hand to picture strips. Leonard Matthews, seeing his paperback work on display in a bookshop, soon had him working as a cover artist for Amalgamated Press, doing the majority of covers for the all text Western Library, a great many of the Cowboy Comics Library covers and a fair number of covers for Thriller Comics Library.
  
  His robust, action-packed style is instantly recognisable. He always seemed more at home with cowboys rather than historical swashbucklers, his covers for the Western Library being of a particular high standard. Nonetheless, some of his historical covers for Thriller Comics Library are very satisfying for he is a great professional and can turn his hand to any genre. McConnell was an incredibly prolific artist, frequently completing a cover painting and the rough for another painting in the same day.