Apparently a self-taught painter, Harriet (Hannah) Brown Skeele was known for her still life paintings of highly detailed objects. She also completed paintings of animals, portraits, and views of the outdoors.

She was born in Kennebunkport, Maine and possibly lived in New York for a time and then lived in St. Louis, Missouri from about 1858 to 1871. There she would have seen the still life paintings of John F. Francis (1808-1886) because his work was exhibited in 1860 and of Sarah Miriam Peale, who was a resident there.

Skeele's unique understanding of compositions allowed her to set up still lifes that included such objects as elaborately carved bowls, vases, fruits, and flowers with detailed botanical observations. It has be...