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Francis (Frank) Henry Schell (1830-1909) was born September 12, 1830 in Philadelphia. He came from a large family, having six brothers (including a younger brother, Frederic B. Schell, who also became a ‘Special Artist’ for Leslie’s) and a sister.
In the 1850 U.S. census, Schell was listed as a lithographer. In the early 1850s, Schell worked with William H. Rease on By Gary McQuarrie advertisements printed by Alphonse Brett and Thomas Sinclair and collaborated specifically with Rease as an artist and lithographer from approximately 1853 to at least 1855. He drew views of Philadelphia, as well as portraits that were printed by Wagner & McGuigan, Lithographers.
From1861 to 1864, Schell worked for Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper (Leslie’s) as a ‘Special Artist’ during the Civil War. Leslie’s published 209 line engravings based on Schell’s sketches and drawings. Many of these line engravings based on his artwork were published in versions of The Soldier in Our Civil War, a 2-volume special edition pictorial history of the conflict containing Leslie’s illustrations, as well as in other Leslie’s special-edition pictorial publications about the war.
After the Civil War in 1866, Schell became superintendent of Leslie’s art department. Soon after Thomas Matthew Hogan, a Leslie’s pictorial correspondent, completed a series of illustrations on the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson in 1868, both Schell and Hogan left Leslie’s and began a long-term collaboration. After leaving Leslie’s, both artists had studios in the Moffat Building, 335 Broadway, New York. Their partnership, Schell & Hogan, would become very successful, providing illustrations and engravings to book publishers in Philadelphia, Boston, and throughout the country, acquiring a significant reputation.
Schell married Martha Ann Carr (born in Canada in 1844). Together, they apparently had five children (Frank Cresson, Henry E., Samuel M., Mary, and Eve Gertrude), two of whom died at early ages (Henry E. at age 2 in 1861 and Eve Gertrude at 13 weeks in 1874). Their son, Frank Cresson Schell (1857-1942), became an artist and illustrator of note in his own right, and served as art editor for Leslie’s Weekly and the Philadelphia daily newspaper, the North American, during his career.
Frank H. Schell died from pneumonia and senility on March 31, 1909 at the age of 78 while living with his son, Frank, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. He was buried at Odd Fellows Cemetery, where his wife was interred following her death in 1904.
- Francis (Frank) Henry Schell ‘Special-Artist-for-Leslies' - civilwarnavy.com
- Francis H. Schell (1834-1909) - The Becker Collection
- Francis H. Schell - - Wikipedia