Frank Sidney Smith “The Backhouse”
Frank writes in his book 'A Brush With Life'; Frank remembers in his book that his older brother Reg, newlywed, moved into a council house, known as a ‘back house’. The houses, one up and one down were so badly built that the feet of the bed came crashing through the ceiling, sending plaster all over the baby’s pram. - This is the view of the yard outside. The houses were condemned soon after.
This painting was a gift, from Frank to my grandmother Kathleen Dayus who became good friends with Frank over the years; Kathleen was born in 1903 in Hockley, Birmingham, where she grew up in real poverty, sharing 3 rooms with seven other members of her family. Their back-to-back house was so cramped, that their life spilled over into the communal yard of Camden Drive, shared by 5 other families. She wrote about her life with both sadness and great humour and her first book, 'Her People' was published in 1982. She went on to have great success, publishing 8 books in total, both autobiographical and fiction, appearing on Terry Wogan's chat show, Radio 4, newspaper and magazine articles, book signings, ITV documentary and finally winning the J R Ackerly Prize and receiving an honorary Master of Arts degree from the University of Birmingham for her contribution to the writing of Birmingham's history.
To further acknowledge her talent and love of Hockley, she has a personal section in the Jewellery Quarter Museum and Dayus Square, which is an area in the Jewellery Quarter (opposite the old George & Dragon pub which features in her books) that has recently been dedicated to her. Their similar humble beginnings, the success that they both achieved in later life and their deep respect for each other, was where their friendship began and blossomed and is reflected in the 2 beautiful paintings and the dedications on the reverse
An original artwork
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