This miniature portrait of a girl is signed "E S Bush", for Ella Shepherd Bush. Ella Shepherd Bush (12 Nov 1862-10 Dec 1948) was born in Galesburg, Illinois where her father William Shaler Bush (17 Nov 1828-1896) was an editor. He had married Martha Bourne Smith on 10 Dec 1861 in Columbus, Ohio, but the family moved to Galesburg and later to Seattle where he died in 1896. Ella died in Temple City, CA.
In 1900 Ella was living as an artist in Seattle with her widowed mother, Martha Bush (Jun 1837-<1910). However, Martha had died by 1910 and Ella was living in Seattle as a boarder.
She moved to California about 1915 and won many prizes there. In 1920 she was living in Sierra Madre with Samuel and Ella Stock and described her occupation as miniature painter. In 1930 she was still living as a miniature painter in Sierra Madre and disclosed assets of $12,000. Thus at this stage of the Great Depression she was still comfortably off.
The sitter is unknown. 456
2 comments:
Beautiful work!
Ella’s middle name is definitely spelled Shepard. She was my grandfather’s aunt and we have some of her work.
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