After Taverner’s death “The Gentleman’s Magazine” for 1772 reiterated Smollett’s statement but in a stronger form calling Taverner “one of the best landscape painters England ever produced.” Mr. Monkhouse speaks of him as “the artist who could most justly challenge Paul Sandby’s claim to the title of the father of the English school of water-colours in the production of faithful landscape.”[597] About contemporary with Taverner is George Lambert (1710–65), engravings from whose landscapes were published in 1749. In the Print Room of the British Museum his work is represented by six attractive engravings, and there is a fresh, modern looking painting by him in the National Gallery.[598] Lambert chose as themes mixed country of slow streams or quiet lakes, with bushy shores; low, wooded hills; stretches of arable land with thatched cottages under embowering trees. In most of his pictures the rich, peaceful scene is enlivened by the presence of domestic animals, cows standing lazily in pools, sheep huddling along the road, horses coming heavily home from the day’s work. There are also men, women, and children engaged in various country sports or occupations. George Lambert is one of the first English artists to attempt what may be called domestic landscape. Contemporary with Lambert is Thomas Smith (d. 1767), known as “Smith of Derby” from the town where he chiefly resided. His “Views of Chatsworth” are dated 1744, and Vivares engraved some of his views of Derbyshire in 1745. A print from his “View of Dunnington Cliff,” dated 1745, shows a river winding in tortuous fashion into the remote distance, with wooded hills on one side, balanced on the other by meadows stretching away to a low hill crowned with a little church. The foreground shows scraggly trees, a waterfall, a lock, cattle grazing, and figures variously occupied. The crowded canvas lacks unity of impression and is thoroughly conventional in arrangement, but the details are English and are painted with manifest appreciation and a very evident attempt at fidelity. George Smith (1714–76), or “Smith of Chichester,” belongs in time with Lambert and Thomas Smith. He and his brothers were the first to establish a local school of landscape art. In 1760 he was awarded a premium of fifty pounds for “A Landskip, half-length,” the first premium given by the “Society of Arts” for landscape work, but he had done considerable Claudesque painting before this time. In spite of his imitative manner his themes are the lovely scenes about Chichester, and he painted them with genuine affection. A pleasing example of his Italian style is in the South Kensington Gallery. A dark line of foreground with tufted brownish trees on each side frames in a still lake; a fine effect of distance is given by misty blue hills beyond the lake; and sunset effects--a tender blue sky with grayish little clouds softly brightened by yellow light from the diffused golden glow along the horizon--are delicately repeated in