Ellen Frances Burpee Farr (American, 1840-1907) very early 20th century oil on board still life of a woven grass basket and flowers. Label from James S. Earle and Sons / Earles Galleries of Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. Artwork in original, ornate gilded frame measures 13.5" x 16.75". Artwork in very good condition. Frame in very good, age appropriate condition with scattered small losses and touch ups.
Ellen Frances Burpee Farr was an American painter celebrated for her depictions of California flora and landscapes. Born in New Hampton, New Hampshire, she studied at the New Hampton Institution and Thetford Academy in Vermont, later teaching drawing at her alma mater.
In 1861 she married Evarts Worcester Farr, a Civil War officer who went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. After his death in 1880, Farr relocated first to Boston and later to Pasadena, California, where her work often featured pepper trees, native wildflowers, Spanish missions, and Native American baskets.
Farr exhibited widely, including at the Boston Art Club, the California State Fair, and the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where she contributed to the California State Building and worked with the Board of Lady Managers.
She died in Naples, Italy, in 1907. Today, her paintings are held in the collections of the Washington County Historical Society in Pennsylvania and the Littleton Public Library in New Hampshire.
