Sculptor. The Flamsteed bust is the only work that we can find.
Our colleague, Andrew Behan, states that has two listings:
'A bust of Flamsteed sculpted by J Raymond Smith is mounted above the front door on the north wing'
and 'An entry in Christie’s journal for 5 November 1894 (RGO7/30/26) records that ‘ Mr J Raymond Smith, sculptor called to arrange about bust of Flamsteed for N. wing of Physical Observatory and took away ivory medallion and engraved portrait of Flamsteed on loan’.
John Raymond Smith was born circa 1833/9 in Marylebone, Middlesex (now Greater London) a son of (1798-1888) and Johanna Smith (1810-1873).
In the census that was compiled on 30 March 1851 he was shown as John Smith, aged 16 years, living at 37 Gloucester Place, Marylebone, with his parents and three of his siblings: Rose Maria Smith (1832-1880); Lydia Smith (1834-1907) and Kate Leonora Jane Smith (1839--1899). His father was described as a sculptor.
The census undertaken on 7 April 1861 shows him as aged 23 years and a sculptor, living at 246 Marylebone Road, Marylebone, with his parents and three of his siblings: Rose Maria Smith (now shown as Rosina Maria Smith); Lydia Smith (now shown as Linda Smith) and Kate Leonora Jane Smith, together with a female domestic servant. His father was described as a sculptor employing four men and one boy.
On the census that was taken on 5 April 1891 he was recorded as John R. Smith, aged 57 years and a sculptor residing at 246a Marylebone Road, with two of his sisters: Linda Smith and Kate Smith. They were both shown as single ladies living on their own means.
Post Office London Directories in 1890 and 1895 list a John Raymond Smith as a sculptor residing at 246a Marylebone Road, London, NW. and that he also appears on the 1897 electoral register at that address.
The three England census returns we could find for this man show that he was economical with the truth of his age. They indicate he could have been born between 1833 and 1838. Unfortunately, we can find no more information about this sculptor.
However, the also seems to show another brother - Charles John Thomas Smith, who used several aliases. This man was born on 25 July 1833 and died on 9 August 1899 and was . Could John Raymond Smith be another alias of Charles John Thomas Smith? One for our 'Puzzle Corner'.
(paywall: British Newspaper Archive) reports that the sculptor Charles John Thomas Smith died the day after his sister, Leonora. They were both mourned by their only surviving sister, Linda. Their grandfather (unnamed) had been a librarian at the British Museum.
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