Ella Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee: A Trailblazing Photographer in the American West

Ella

by Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee

4.7 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	3015 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	171 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

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Ella Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee (1857-1942) was a pioneering photographer who documented the American West in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was one of the first women to work as a professional photographer in the West, and her work is notable for its artistic merit and its ethnographic value.

Peaslee was born in Vermont, but she moved to the West in 1880. She settled in Montana, where she began her career as a photographer. She quickly gained a reputation for her ability to capture the beauty of the Western landscape, as well as the lives of the Native Americans who lived there.

Peaslee's work was exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Her photographs were praised for their artistic quality and their documentation of Native American life. Peaslee's work was also published in a number of magazines and newspapers, including Harper's Weekly and National Geographic.

In addition to her landscape and Native American photography, Peaslee also photographed the construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Her photographs of the railroad workers and the progress of the construction are a valuable historical record.

Peaslee's work helped to shape the way that people viewed the American West. Her photographs provided a glimpse into a world that was largely unknown to most Americans. Peaslee's work also helped to preserve the culture of the Native Americans who lived in the West.

Peaslee's legacy as a photographer is significant. She was one of the first women to work as a professional photographer in the West, and her work helped to shape the way that people viewed the region. Peaslee's photographs are a valuable historical record, and they continue to be admired for their artistic merit and their ethnographic value.

Early Life and Career

Ella Jessilyn Stewart was born on September 2, 1857, in Peacham, Vermont. Her parents were farmers, and she grew up on a farm in the countryside. Peaslee showed an early interest in art, and she began drawing and painting at a young age. She also had a strong interest in photography, and she began taking pictures with a camera that her father had given her.

In 1880, Peaslee moved to Montana with her family. She settled in the town of Bozeman, where she began her career as a photographer. Peaslee quickly gained a reputation for her ability to capture the beauty of the Western landscape, as well as the lives of the Native Americans who lived there.

Peaslee's work was exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Her photographs were praised for their artistic quality and their documentation of Native American life. Peaslee's work was also published in a number of magazines and newspapers, including Harper's Weekly and National Geographic.

Landscape and Native American Photography

Peaslee's landscape photography is notable for its beauty and its sense of place. She had a deep love of the Western landscape, and she was able to capture its grandeur and its intimacy in her photographs.

Peaslee's Native American photography is also significant. She was one of the first photographers to document the lives of the Native Americans who lived in the West. Her photographs provide a glimpse into a world that was largely unknown to most Americans.

Peaslee's work is important both as an artistic and historical record. Her photographs are beautiful and evocative, and they provide a valuable glimpse into the American West of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1905, Peaslee married Dr. William Peaslee. The couple moved to Chicago, where Peaslee continued to work as a photographer. She also became involved in a number of social and political causes, including the suffrage movement.

Peaslee died in Chicago in 1942. She was 85 years old. Her work is now held in a number of museums and collections, including the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Montana Historical Society.

Peaslee's legacy as a photographer is significant. She was one of the first women to work as a professional photographer in the West, and her work helped to shape the way that people viewed the region. Peaslee's photographs are a valuable historical record, and they continue to be admired for their artistic merit and their ethnographic value.

Image Gallery

Further Reading

* Ella Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee Collection at the Library of Congress * Ella Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee: Photographer of the American West * Ella Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee: Montana Photographer

Ella

by Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee

4.7 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	3015 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	171 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE