Being the son of a steam ship captain, Sam Smith (1908-1983) spent much of his childhood in Southampton harbour. The busy, colourful environment of this seaside town became one of the main inspirations for his artwork. In the mid-1930s, Smith started to make wooden toys and objects painted in bright colours. His objects are akin to folk art, but also Pop art such as the work of Peter Blake. Pinkie, a small wooden boat with a jaunty mermaid on its hull, came into the collection in 1972, following a retrospective of Smith's work held at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.