Smythe, Not Smith

From the Bain Collection [loc.gov/pictures/collection/ggbain; LOC = Library of Congress]:-

The George Grantham Bain Collection represents the photographic files of one of America's earliest news picture agencies. The collection richly documents sports events, theater, celebrities, crime, strikes, disasters, political activities including the woman suffrage campaign, conventions and public celebrations.

The collection has only a few images featuring chess, although a wider net on loc.gov brings a few hundred.

J.H. Smythe Jr. & Whitaker

Whitaker is better known as Norman T. Whitaker [Wikipedia]:-

(1890–1975), an American International Master of chess, a lawyer, a civil servant, and a chess author. He was convicted of several crimes, was disbarred from the practice of law, and served several terms in prison. His most infamous criminal escapade was a confidence trick involving the Lindbergh kidnapping in 1932.

What about J.H. Smythe Jr.? Another photo from the Bain Collection, J.H. Smythe & Son, is captioned,

Reverend John Henry Smythe, Sr. with his son, chess expert John Henry Smythe Jr.

Smythe Jr. has a page on Chessgames.com, John Henry Smythe ('Number of games in database: 1; Years covered: 1901'),

(1883-1956), born in Philadelphia, USA. He learned the rules of chess at the age of 16. Smythe Jr. attended Philadelphia University and was the elected chess club president for three years.

That one game was a draw against Em.Lasker at a simul. Most of the discussion on Smythe's CG page was to determine his date of death, a project related to "Undeceased" CG players over 100 years old by Zanchess.