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Howard Ellis

Howard Ellis (1883 - 1962) was active/lived in California, Pennsylvania.  Howard Ellis is known for Impressionist landscape and marime painting and seascape painting.

Provided by Nancy Moure, Independent Art Researcher

Howard Ellis (1883-1962)  (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and California)

“Howard Ellis, famous for his snow paintings has been numbered among the Morro Bay artists ” per “Morro Bay Art Colony Boasts Famous Names,” SLO T-T, June 8, 1940, p. 4;

“Howard Ellis who spent many months painting in Morro Bay a few years ago writes local friends that he has just been awarded second prize at the annual exhibition of the Harrisburg, Pa., Art Association,” Sun, May 26, 1933, p. 4,

“Artist Notes”; Ellis, Howard (misc. bibliography) Listed 1900 U. S. Census as age 17, b. Jan. 1883, living in Harrisburgh, Pa., with his parents, Wilham H. Ellis and Elizabeth C. Ellis, and siblings; Exh. Artists of Chicago and Vicinity, CAI, Jan. 25 – Feb. 28, 1921; exh. two works at the Laguna Beach Art Association in 1922, per Publications in California Art, no. 11;

Listed Salinas, Ca., City Directory, 1928 with   ...  [Displaying 1000 of 4311 characters.]  Artist bio

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Similar artists

.  There are 1 similar (related) artists for Howard Ellis available:    Albert Van Nesse Greene



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Facts about Howard Ellis

   Howard Ellis  Born:  1883 - Reading, Pennsylvania
Died:   1962 - Glendale, California
Known for:  Impressionist landscape and marime painting and seascape painting
Name variants:  Howard G Ellis

Biography from the Archives of askART

Provided by Nancy Moure, Independent Art Researcher

Howard Ellis (1883-1962)  (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and California)

“Howard Ellis, famous for his snow paintings has been numbered among the Morro Bay artists ” per “Morro Bay Art Colony Boasts Famous Names,” SLO T-T, June 8, 1940, p. 4;

“Howard Ellis who spent many months painting in Morro Bay a few years ago writes local friends that he has just been awarded second prize at the annual exhibition of the Harrisburg, Pa., Art Association,” Sun, May 26, 1933, p. 4,

“Artist Notes”; Ellis, Howard (misc. bibliography) Listed 1900 U. S. Census as age 17, b. Jan. 1883, living in Harrisburgh, Pa., with his parents, Wilham H. Ellis and Elizabeth C. Ellis, and siblings; Exh. Artists of Chicago and Vicinity, CAI, Jan. 25 – Feb. 28, 1921; exh. two works at the Laguna Beach Art Association in 1922, per Publications in California Art, no. 11;

Listed Salinas, Ca., City Directory, 1928 with Katherine Ellis and living at Scenic Road, Carmel Point, occupation artist; is he the Howard Ellis listed in California Arts & Architecture, Artists List, 1932, as a decorator, living at 1731 S. Burlington Ave., LA, in 1932?; listed 1930 U. S. Census as an artist, married but with no wife living in the household, living in the house of his father, William H. Ellis (age 85), with his siblings John (age 64), William H. Jr. (age 62), and Catherine (age 57); listed in Harrisburgh, Pa., City Directory as an artist irregularly from 1902-1941;

listed 1940 U. S. Census as age 57, b. c. 1883 in Pennsylvania, occupation = artist, living in Harrisburg, Pa., married (but the M is struck out and no wife is residing at that address), residing in the home of his brother, John N. Ellis (age 74, Janitor for the public schools) and William H. Ellis, Jr. (age 70, watchman for construction); and sister Katherine Ellis (age 67, single, no occupation), highest schooling that any of them achieved = 8th grade; b. Jan. 12, 1883 in Reading, Pa., and d. July 3, 1962, in Harrisburg, Pa., per Pennsylvania Death Certificates (all census, etc., info on ancestry.com)Information courtesy of Nancy Dustin Moure


Biography from the Archives of askART

Provided by Nancy Moure, Independent Art Researcher.

Ellis, Howard (1883-1962) (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and California)

Howard Ellis, famous for his snow paintings, was b. January 12, 1883 to Wilham H. and Elizabeth C. Ellis in Reading, Pa. Highest schooling attained was 8 th grade. In 1910 he cited his occupation as artist, and he was running an art store in Philadelphia where he also framed paintings helped by his wife, Marion, also an artist.

By 1920 he was active as an artist in Seattle but his wife was not living with him. In the early 1920s he exhibited artwork at the Chicago Art Institute and at the Laguna Beach Art Association. It may have been at this time that he spent several months sketching at Morro Bay. By the later 1920s, still calling himself artist, he was residing with his sister, Katherine, in Carmel.

From c. 1930 (at the time of the U. S. Census), he was back in Pennsylvania residing with his parents. But, in 1932 he was in Los Angeles working as a “decorator.” Finally, shortly afterwards, he returned to Harrisburg where he worked as an artist, sometimes painting portraits, and where he resided with his unmarried siblings until his death there on July 3, 1962.

Citations in PSCA, vol. 13).

Additional information can be found in: Nancy Moure, “Central Coast Artist Visitors before 1960,”  (PUBLICATIONS IN CALIFORNIA ART, VOL. 13, NO. VII), Cambria, Ca.: Dustin Publications, 2022.



Biography from the Archives of askART

Howard Ellis(1883-1962) (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and California)

“Howard Ellis who spent many months painting in Morro Bay a few years ago writes local friends that he has just been awarded second prize at the annual exhibition of the Harrisburg, Pa., Art Association,” Sun, May 26, 1933, p. 4, “Artist Notes”.

Source:  Nancy Dustin Wall Moure, MORRO BAY (including LOS OSOS, BAYWOOD PARK and CAYUCOS) ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY BEFORE 1960 (Publications in [Southern] California Art, vol. 13, no. I), Los Angeles: Dustin Publications, 2016.


Biography from the Archives of askART

Resident of Carmel in 1928 and Los Angeles in 1932.

Edan Hughes, author of the book "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
City Directory


Nearly 20,000 biographies can be found in Artists in California 1786-1940 by Edan Hughes and is available for sale ($150). For a full book description and order information please click here.


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