Ellen Robbins
1828 - 1905
Print of Ellen Robbins in her studio, unknown date, from a photograph by J. Appleton Brown, courtesy of the Watertown Free Public Library, Watertown, MA, USA
     Place of Birth:
Watertown
Nationality:
American
Phonetic Spelling:
EHL-ehn RAH-bihnz Minority status:
White non-Hispanic
Work Type/Media:
Drawings and prints, Painting, Textiles and clothing
Artistic Role(s):
Needleworker, Painter, Printmaker, Self-taught Artist, Sketcher, Still life Painter, Watercolorist, Fabric Designer
Style:
Other
Artist's Biography:
Ellen Robbins is best known for her watercolor paintings of flowers and autumn leaves. Primarily a self-taught watercolorist, Robbins was born in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1828. During her youth, she spent hours copying lithographs from drawing books. During the 1940s, she studied briefly at the New England School of Design and Manchester Printworks. Discouraged from further pursuit in design by her instructors, she became more determined to paint, and although unable to find a suitable watercolor teacher, began experimenting on her own. Her early flower paintings demonstrate an attentiveness to detail reminiscent of works by John Ruskin. As her style matured, however, it became more decorative and abstract. Robbins first began selling works as albums which she sold to friends and relatives. As awareness of her talent spread, she began displaying and selling work at Doll and Richards Gallery. Encouraged by increasing sales of her works and by the praise of critics and lifelong friend Harriet Goodhue Hosmer, Robbins continued working. Often composing her paintings in a flat, decorative style, she decided to experiment with painting flowers on wood. Using pen and black watercolor, Robbins painted ornamental floral designs on a complete set of furniture. Although the furniture sold, she never again undertook such a laborious endeavor, focusing instead on her paintings. As was the fashion, Robbins began painting in oil on ebonized panels. She was commissioned to paint a floral frieze at Wellesley College in Massachusetts for which she was highly praised. She exhibited her paintings at the Boston Art Club and in 1876, at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. When her works were reproduced in chromolithographs by Louis Prang, she became well-known in England where the prints became very popular. After a prolific career that brought her international fame, Robbins died in Boston in 1905.
Other Occupation(s):
Teacher
Place(s) of Residence:
Boston
Place(s) of Activity:
Island of Shoals
Where Trained/Schools:
New England School of Design, Boston, MA, USA (ca. 1840 - ca. 1848)
Private lessons, Boston, MA, USA (ca. 1840 - ca. 1848)
Manchester Printworks, Manchester, NH, USA (ca. 1840 - ca. 1848)
Related Visual Artists:
friend of Harriet Goodhue Hosmer
student of Stephen Tuckerman
student of Albert Bellows
Fellowships, grants and awards:
unknown
Earliest exhibition:
Agricultural Fair, St. Louis Agricultural & Mechanical Association, St. Louis, MO, USA (1869)
NMWA exhibition(s):
American Women Artists: 1830-1930
Artist retrospective(s):
none
Related places
Boston (died at)
The Clara database is no longer being updated. This database will be retained as an access point for our artist files. Artist profiles are now a featured component on the NMWA website. For artists who are not in our collection: we are in the process of creating a user-submitted registry that will be available by 2015. Thank you for your patience as we create new content to better serve researchers, members, and artists.
© 2008-2012 National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C. 
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