Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith was a pivotal figure in Canadian art, known for his landscape paintings of the Rocky and Selkirk Mountains, which helped shape a national artistic identity. A founding member of key Canadian art institutions, including the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and the Ontario Society of Artists, Bell-Smith also played a vital role as an educator and advocate for the arts across the country. His work in oil and watercolor was widely exhibited both nationally and internationally, and is represented in nearly every major Canadian art museum. Beyond painting, Bell-Smith was also active as a photographer and illustrator, contributing significantly to early Canadian visual culture.