Walter Smith (1836-1886) was a British art educator. He was trained at the South Kensington School of Art and became headmaster of the Leeds and Keighley School of Art and worked in other schools in the area. In 1871 he moved ot the United States where he held several positions as Director of Drawing in Boston 1871 to 1881; Principal of the Normal Art School of Massachusetts; and State Director of Art Education in Massachusetts. He wrote several books on art education and was an early proponent of industrial design.