Clare Brett Smith was born in Pennsylvania and raised in Connecticut and Vermont. She was graduated from the Putney School and from Smith College, where her major field was history and where she was Editor-in-Chief of the college newspaper. She has lived in Farmington, Connecticut since 1951 and is married to Burges Smith.

With her husband, Smith owned and managed Primitive Artisan, a well-known import company specializing in handicrafts of developing nations. The company was sold in 1982, but Smith remains active in the handcraft and economic development field as President and CEO of Aid to Artisans.

Photography has been a constant and important interest, but not always her primary focus. Nevertheless, she has had numerous one-person exhibitions. Published work includes Decoration Day, a photo essay published in 1979, articles and photographs for the Boston Globe on cross-country skiing in Norway, a portfolio on gardens for Northeast Magazine, and article entitled Fireworks on blacksmith-sculptors in Santa Fe for Art West magazine, a portfolio of photographs of Florence for Transitions magazine, and a portfolio of Somalia for ATA News in 1987.

With Jon Goodman, printer, Smith produced a limited edition of photographs in gravure, 1986. The six prints were selected from her China, Mexico, and Pakistan portfolios.

Papers by Clare Brett Smith