Ella Ferris Pell (American, 1846 – 1922) (  aka  Ella Pell  ) Heading Home

Pell was a highly skilled academic painter, with a rather Baroque handling of light and darkness. She graduated from the Design School for Women at the Cooper Union Art School (New York City) in 1870 where she was recognized for her sculpture. In the 1880s she attended the Academie des Beaux-Arts des Champs-Elysees in Paris and Academie Julian. While in Paris, Pell received instruction from religious painter Jacques-Fernand Humbert, portrait and genre painter Gaston Casmir Saint-Pierre, and history painter Jean-Paul Laurens. In the 1890s Pell returned to New York City where she continued her art career, which included a successful commercial venture with color lithographer, Louis Prang, who published her Christmas and Easter designs. She exhibited her works at the Paris Salons, Boston Art Club, Brooklyn Art Association, and the National Academy of Design.