- Ellen Sharples
Ellen Sharples (born 1769 - died 1849 in
Wybunbury ,Cheshire ) was an English painter who specialized in portraits and miniatures.After having been a student of painter
James Sharples and subsequently marrying him in 1787, the couple emigrated to theUnited States . Living inWashington, DC James had great success painting portraits of American leaders (includingGeorge Washington ) and Ellen found a thriving career in copying those portraits on commission. Her copies were in equal demand and were priced the same as her husband's. The family also lived inPhiladelphia andNew York . Ellen also did original portraits in pastel and in watercolor miniatures on ivory.After James's death, Ellen returned to
Bristol ,England with her daughter Rolinda who became a successful painter in her own right. When Ellen died in 1849 she left a substantial estate to the Bristol Academy for the Promotion ofFine Arts which was instrumental in financing Bristol's first art gallery, now theRoyal West of England Academy . She had helped found the Academy several years earlier with a gift of 2000 pounds. Her works are found in many museums in the United States, including the Metropolitan and the National Gallery of Art.Ellen's daughter
Rolinda Sharples was born in New York in 1793 and died in 1838. Although born in New York, she lived out her life inBristol . Rolinda followed the family tradition and became an oil painter. One of her largest pieces of work was "The Trial of Colonel Brereton", painted in 1834.ources
* [http://www.baas.ac.uk/resources/asib/asibdets.asp?ordernum=8316&head=8314| British Association for American Studies]
ee also
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Royal West of England Academy External links
* [http://www.uwe.ac.uk/amd/archive/photos/sharpl1.jpgPicture of Ellen Sharples]
* [http://www.bristol-city.gov.uk/ccm/cms-service/stream/image/?image_id=519074 Picture of Rolinda, daughter of Ellen Sharples]
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