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Pamela Colman Smith, whose birth name was Corrine Pamela Colman Smith, was born in London, England, in 1878. Her parents were John Edward Smith and Coriine Colman, both Americans. In 1889, Smith moved to Kingston, Jamaica with her family to accommodate her father’s work. It was here that she was exposed to and began to develop a love for West Indian folk tales. at the age of 16, Smith was accepted to the Pratt Institute of Art and Design in New York. Smith did not finish her degree at the Pratt institute, but in the same year that she left (1897) she had her first art show. She moved back to London in 1899 and her father died soon after her return. Into the 1890s, Smith began spending more time with Ellen Terry, who is said to have bestowed upon her the nickname “Pixie”. During this time Smith also became increasingly involved with the Lyceum theatre community, with Terry and Craig. For the company Smith worked as an illustrator, as well as a costume and set designer, often accompanying the troupe to performances outside London. Leading up to the 1900s, Smith became more involved with the Irish Theatre community and became associated with William Butler Yeats and Lady Augusta Gregory. Smith joined The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in 1901, which reflected the type of aesthetics that she had already mastered. In 1901 Smith also began hosting members of the artistic, theatrical, and literary community at her London flat. In 1902 she began editing A Broad Sheet with Jack B. Yeats and in 1903, she founded her own periodical called The Green Sheaf. In this magazine she advertised a number of her own entrepreneurial endeavors including greeting card design, in-home story telling, and illustration school that she hosted in her shop. After The Green Sheaf published its final issue, Smith went on to found the The Green Sheaf Press.

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