Ella Carnall painting- By James Yale
A special thanks to Heather Gardner for sharing her Instagram post about the James Yale painting of Ella Carnall.
This twist in this Nancy Drew adventure began on March 31st, 2026. These days, I seem to pop up at a variety of events, and this particular one was being held at the Inn at Carnall Hall. It was a very informative gathering, but I was there to find James' painting of Ella Carnall. I had never seen it in realtime.
The desk clerk took me to the landing on the second floor to see the painting. Finally, being able to stand so close, seeing the brush strokes and staring into Ella's eyes, I knew that at some point this sleuthing would evolve into a multi-faceted tapestry of storytelling to give Miss Ella Howison Carnall more dimension as a trailblazer of her time.
Ella was a graduate of the University of Arkansas (1881), who for many years had served as an associate professor of English and modern languages. Her many successes as a UA student, coupled with her influence and guidance as an instructor, led the University to honor her by designating the only women's dormitory of the time as Carnall Hall.
https://www.oldbuildingsllc.com/carnall-hall-backstory
Today's post is a teaser for a future interview tapestry in 2027. The plan is to bring together the ensemble cast of people who hold the history of Ella, James Yale, the University of Arkansas, the Carnall Inn Development Co. LLC organized by Fayetteville developers Richard Alexander, Rob Merry-Ship, Ted and Leslie Belden, and the contributions of dear friends, Joyce Lambeth, the late James Lambeth, FAIA, as the project's architect.
I had left my card at the front desk about featuring the story of The Inn at Carnall Hall to James Yale's archives. On May 22nd, the lovely Heather Gardener contacted me with this introduction.
I am Heather Gardner. I am serving as owner's representative and design direction lead for the Inn at Carnall Hall's comprehensive guest room refresh - a full vision study and FF&E procurement engagement that is currently in its first week. I am delivering a vision deck to ownership on May 29.
From the first day I walked into the Inn, Ella's portrait stopped me. As the design direction has developed over the past several weeks, I have come back to that painting again and again as the emotional and narrative anchor for everything we are doing. The portrait is not a historical reference in our work - it is the governing document. Every color, every material, every design decision is held against it and asked: does this belong in her world?
What I have just learned from your email has made that connection even more profound. I did not know that James painted the portrait for James Lambeth - that Joyce commissioned it from her husband's close friend after James Lambeth passed. That transforms the story entirely. The portrait hanging in the Inn named for Ella is an act of love and grief from the family that saved the building, rendered by an artist who was their dear friend. That is not a hotel decoration. That is the building's soul.
I have been researching James Yale this week with the help of Ted Belden and I have been moved by what I found - the Ozarks connection, the self-taught discipline, the years of work through MS, the Faye Jones bust at the UA School of Architecture, the Helen Walton commissions, the Arkansas State Capitol exhibition. He was extraordinary. And the portrait of Ella - the deep teal dress, the gold embroidery, the botanical flowers, the books in her hands - is extraordinary work.
This project just became something larger than a renovation. I think you and I are working on the same thing from different directions.
Thank you,
Heather Gardner, DBIA
PRECONSTRUCTION CONSULTANT
*One more thing, adding to the line up is Rachel Hawkins and her mother Teri Spears who were James' students and apprentices. The painting on the second floor landing something bumped into the painting, leaving an imperfection. They masterfully achieved the restoration that would make James very proud of them.
The story will continue ...Charlotte Buchanan Yale
