Finding aid for the Collection on Virginia Ellis

Biography of Virginia Ellis

Virginia "Jinny" Ellis (1913-1979) was a local Hudson, Ohio, artist. She was born in 1913 in Michigan and attended Old Trail School in Akron; Later, she attended Radcliffe College. She married Goodyear employee Fred Ellis and lived in Michigan for a short time. In 1940, the Ellis' moved back to Ohio and settled in Hudson.

Jinny drew inspiration for her art from nature. Wildflowers, birds, butterflies, cherries were recurring motifs in her art. She cited the Smithsonian books Wild Flowers of America and British Flora in Color as her reference material. Many of her works were prominently featured around town. A set of 25 of her murals once hung at Acme grocery store. Other paintings and designs of hers were found at the Hudson Library and various local libraries as well as the Hudson clothing store The Grey Colt. She also designed programs for the Hudson Players. Jinny also worked part time at the Western Reserve Academy as a library assistant. She was a longtime resident of the home at 48 Aurora Street.

Source: Hudson Times 3/9/1977, Hudson Hub, 5/9/1979, and remembrance.

Scope and Content

The collection on Virginia Ellis includes newspaper articles featuring short stories and biographies on Virginia Ellis, remembrances written by Jinny Ellis' friends and a few photographs of her artwork on display.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

The collection is open for research use.

Restrictions on Access

The collection is open for research use.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Persons:

Preferred Citation

[Box number, folder number], Collection on Virginia Ellis, Hudson Library & Historical Society

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information is unknown.

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Polly Reynolds in October 2012.

Detailed Description of The Collection