 In 1884 or 1885, Smith attended the Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now Moore College of Art and Design) and in 1885 attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia under Thomas Eakins' and Thomas Anshutz' supervision.It was under Eakins that Smith began to use photography as a resource in her illustrations.Although Eakins' demeanor could be difficult, particularly with female students, he became one of her first major influences.