Ellen Wallace Sharples 1769-1849 Portrait of a young woman seated in a chair, her arm resting upon a table. Circa.1810. Pastel. 21.2 by 26.5 cms image. 34 by 39 cms overall in her original 19th.Century giltwood 'Sharples' frame.
Ellen Wallace initially studied under James Sharples at Bath and they married in 1787. They moved to America in 1796 where James established himself as the only serious pastellist active in the United States at that time, there was great demand for his portraits from the likes of George Washington, John Adams, and Joseph Priestley. Hugely talented Ellen at first copied her husband’s work and then after his death returned to England and continued a successful family practice. Drawing with a delicate, precise touch, using predominantly a restrained palette her talents undoubtedly grew to such an extent that her work easily rivals in quality and style that of her husband. She exhibited five miniatures at the Royal Academy in 1807, and founded the Bristol Fine Arts Academy in 1844 with a substantial gift