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Biography
Ellen Emmet Rand was born in San Francisco in 1875. She first showed signs of artistic ability at a very young age. In 1884, she suffered the death of her father and her family moved to New York. At age twelve, she went to Boston to study drawing with Dennis Miller Bunker, an instructor at Cowels Art School. Her cousin, Lydia, went with her and took some classes with her at The Art Students League of New York. She was instructed by William Merritt Chase, Kenyon Cox, and Robert Reid. From 1893 to 1894, Rand worked as an illustrator for Vogue magazine and in 1894 began producing drawings for Harper’s Weekly and Harper’s Bazaar. In 1896, Rand and her family moved to England where she received many commissions for portraits. In 1897, Rand and her sisters moved to Paris where she began studying sculpture and modeling works in clay. She also continued drawing and painting. During her time in Paris, she made several trips to England to paint commissioned portraits and in 1900 she received a Bronze Medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. In the fall of 1900 Rand returned to New York. Here, she set up a studio on Washington Square where she painted portraits for prominent American clients including writers, artists, and business leaders and their families. Her first solo exhibition was held at the Durand-Ruel Gallery in New York in 1902. In 1911, she married William Blanchard Rand and within the next three years had three children. In the late 1920s, as her family’s finances declined, Rand began more actively pursuing commissions. She painted three portraits of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the early 1930s, one of which became the official White House portrait. Rand died in New York in 1941. Rand was a great success in her lifetime and continues to be adored.

Schools Where She Trained
Cowels Art School The Art Students League of New York

Fellowships, Grants, and Awards
Beck Gold Medal, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA, USA (1922) Temple Gold Medal, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA, USA (1903) Bronze Medal, Exposition Universelle, Paris, France (1900)