Jessie Willcox Smith died at Cogslea, her home in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, and was buried at The Woodlands Cemetery.
Jessie Willcox Smith died on May 3, 1935, at Cogslea, the storied home she shared with close friends and fellow creatives in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia. She was 71 years old at the time of her death, having spent nearly her entire life and career rooted in her native city.
By the time of her death, Smith had largely retired from commercial illustration, a career shift she made a decade earlier in 1925, though she had continued to paint privately and remained a respected figure in American art circles. Her passing marked the end of an era for American illustration, closing the chapter on one of the most prolific and beloved visual interpreters of childhood and domestic life that the Golden Age of American Illustration had produced.
She was laid to rest at The Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia, a historic burial ground that serves as the final resting place for many notable Philadelphians. Her death was noted in art and publishing circles nationally, as her images—particularly her iconic covers for Good Housekeeping and her illustrations for classic children's literature—had become deeply embedded in American visual culture. Her body of work continued to be reprinted, collected, and exhibited long after her death, cementing her legacy as one of the most significant female illustrators in American history and an enduring influence on the visual representation of childhood.