Ellen Duvall (1854-1944)
Ellen Duvall was born in 1854 in Delaware, but lived much of her life in Baltimore. She was a valued member of the Club from 1894 to 1915, serving as chair for several committees including the Committee on Current Criticism (1899) and the Committee on Fiction (1907). Duvall frequently led different meetings and often presented her own work or the work of others: she was fond of Shakespeare and both read and wrote a lot about him. Her short stories and essays were published in national magazines including Harper’s Monthly, the Atlantic Monthly, and Smart Set. The Baltimore Sun praised her “entertaining fiction” and “rich literary style.” She lived alone for most of her long life, renting rooms as a “single boarder.” She died in 1944.
Sources
“Baltimore is the Home of Many Conspicuous Woman Writers.” Baltimore Sun, Feb. 14, 1909.
Woman’s Literary Club of Baltimore meeting minutes, October 7, 1899.
“Obituary.” Baltimore Sun, Feb. 9, 1944, 4.