“He was the most prolific of all the African-American artists who expatriated to France between the two World Wars of the 20th Century, producing at least 220 prints, drawings, and paintings.” A dually talented artist, Smith earned a living as a musician and artist. His images are significant for their social commentary on racism, themes of racial uplift, and exploration of Black stereotypes.

Aside from his obvious talent as a visual artist, Smith was a skillful banjo-player and guitarist. As a jazz musician, Smith sang and played with various bands and orchestras in Europe. In 1913, he was the first African-American to earn a scholarship to attend the High School for Ethical Culture. He was also the first African-American student at the prestigious National Academy of Design in 1915 where he won several awards for his work.

When the United States entered World War I in 1917, Smith served with 807 Pioneer Infantry Regiment. During his short enlistment, Smith visited cathedrals in France and Belgium, and worked as a cartoonist. Only one known work from this period is believed to have survived, a pen and ink drawing titled, "The Fall of the Castle." The image depicts a “crowd of Black men ascending a steep hill on top of which is perched a castle bearing the label ‘PREJUDICE’.” Many believe that this image symbolizes the power of Black people to overcome racism.

In 1919, after Smith resumed his life as a civilian. In the year after his return, Smith resumed his studies at the National Academy of Design and continued creating art. One of his images from the 1920s is Smith’s Plantation Melodies, depicting southern Black musicians performing. The image won Smith critical acclaim. Plantation was also published in the NAACP’S Crisis magazine. Smith’s work was highly regarded by the magazine and became a regular contributor to Crisis. The Reason, one of his most poignant images that was published in Crisis, illustrates the horrors of lynching in the South. In The Reason, “a black man in coat and tie hurries away from another black man who is hanging from a tree – a lynching victim. A banner streaming from the lapel of the man in coat and tie indicates his destination: TO THE NORTH.” Smith, however, was keenly aware that Blacks also fell victim to rampant racism in the north. This factor is what, perhaps, prompted the artist to leave the United States.

From 1920 to 1926, he travelled throughout Europe, while maintaining an apartment in Paris. Smith worked as a musician and produced images that largely depicted “tourist scenes.”

Smith won a gold medal for some of his worked produced during this period when his etchings were exhibited at a 1920s New York Public Library shows and in the Tanner Art League Exhibition. About 1922, Smith created a half-length portrait of noted Black French author Rene Maran. A version of the image appeared on a 1922 cover of ‘Crisis’ magazine. During this time Smith also executed a series of portrait etchings of other famous Black leaders and created images while studying at the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Liege. They were exhibited at the Brooklyn Society of Etchers. Critics assert that Smith’s “most eloquent statement on inequity in the United States,” was a drawing titled ‘Justice’ and those that he created based on his exploration of racial discrimination themes.

Smith, who reportedly studied the works of Velazquez and Murillo at the Prado Museum, is also noted for his images that recall scenes of local scenery—based on the day-to-day life of “common people,” that he observed during the time he spent in Spain. While the series of images that Smith created during his time in Europe was lauded for his social commentary genre scenes, Smith was also castigated by some critics for producing objectionable images of African-Americans.

His critics accused Smith of pandering to the demand amongst white Americans for “a re-engagement with a romanticized past in which subservient African-Americans ‘happily’ served them; this countered the frightening realization that a new type of African-American was emerging and flooding the cities of the North.” More sympathetic viewers pushed back—offering that Smith’s justification for developing these images may have been purely economical as he was s reportedly struggling to support himself. Others, however, countered that Smith was culturally biased—because as the offspring of Bermudian immigrants, Smith may not have regarded himself as “black.”

Also, historically Smith was known to have disassociated himself from other African-Americans when he lived in Paris. He was viewed as being envious of other African-American artists who won success in the United States. Smith is said to have disparaged African-American artists such as Palmer Hayden and Archibald Motley, Jr. whom he deemed unworthy of being favored over him for Harmon and Guggenheim Foundation awards.

Shortly before his death, Smith wrote to Schomburg, “Well, every failure is a whip to drive me on to further heights. I used to feel discouraged, but that feeling is gone now and as I can see it’s a long and rough road, I must go on all the harder.” But in his zeal for success, he may have overworked himself. He died suddenly in France on April. 3rd, 1940, only forty-four years old.