Tristram James Ellis Art for Sale at Auction

Etcher, Painter, Illustrator

Tristram James Ellis (2 July 1844 – 25 July 1922) was an English artist who was known for his paintings of the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean. Ellis was the son of the mathematician and philologist Alexander John Ellis. He and his twin sister, Miriam Anne, were born at Great Malvern on 2 July 1844. He was known to his family as Tristie and spent his early years in Bath, Clifton and Edinburgh, after which he was sent to school at Queenwood College in Hampshire. At school, he excelled in mathematics, and while he did study drawing, he disliked the emphasis placed on copying rather than original art.[6] In 1862, Ellis went to King's College, London, where during his second year he earned the highest distinction in the Applied Sciences department in the college's history. He won all the scholarships offered by the college and was awarded the Associateship of King's College after only two years' study, in recognition of his exceptional achievements.

After university, Ellis completed a pupilage under the railway engineer Sir John Fowler and became a partner in a firm of engineers. After several years, Ellis decided that his calling lay in art. As he had sufficient means to support himself, he abandoned engineering and devoted his time to oil painting.