Elizabeth Bonsall

Born in Philadelphia, Elizabeth Fearne Bonsall (1861-1956) was a student at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under Thomas Eakins. Bonsall was the first woman to win the Toppan Prize there in 1885, and its Mary Smith Prize in 1888 and 1897.

Bonsall also attended classes at the Drexel Institute in 1897, studying under Howard Pyle. She studied under Castaigne and Collin in Paris.

She was a member of the Print Club, the Philadelphia Art Alliance, and the Plastic Club, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1897 for women only, and one of the oldest art clubs in the United States.

Elizabeth Bonsall drew primarily animal subjects and is known for her illustrations for The Pied Piper. Her work can be seen in such magazines as the Sunday Magazine and Harper’s Monthly during 1907 and 1908. She also produced a Cat Calendar and 'The Book of Cats', in addition to many cat paintings.