Wallace Smith (1888-1937) was a newspaperman, novelist, and artist. He was born in Chicago, and worked as a reporter in Mexico for the Chicago Evening American . He wrote articles, stories, and books ( The Little Tigress ) based on his experiences in Mexico.
As an artist Smith illustrated Ben Hecht's Fantazius Mallare (Chicago, 1922) and other books, designed book jackets and end papers. Along with Hecht, he received an obscenity fine of $1000 for his work in Fantazius Mallare . In 1929 he went to Hollywood and worked on screenplays with Anthony Veiller, Eric von Stroheim, and others.
From the guide to the Wallace Smith papers, 1916-1935, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)
