Olive Snell

Olive Constance Snell (3 April 1888 – 23 May 1962) was an English artist, known for her portraiture.

Snell was born in the Colony of Natal, South Africa, the daughter of Constance Louisa and Edward Snell of Monkokehampton, Devon, England. She arrived in England in 1912, already a competent painter.

In the 1920s, she painted portraits for the front covers of several issues of The Sketch, and The Bystander, working mainly in crayon & watercolour. Their eldest child, Helena Christian, married Lionel Brett, 4th Viscount Esher. The middle daughter Katherine Mary Penelope married Lawrence Dundas, 3rd Marquess of Zetland. A third daughter, Jane Rosemary (1923–1934), died in childhood. As of 2017, the picture was in private ownership. Birley subsequently painted Ebenezer Pike, and later married Pike's sister, Rhoda, after painting her also. Another portrait was painted circa 1927 by Augustus John. This work was sold by Boningtons in June 2018. The Illustrated London News noted in 1927, that Snell "was lucky enough to have some lessons from that celebrated artist Augustus John, who was interested in her work".