Elizabeth Williams was born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1844. Williams studied in Paris and exhibited at the Salon. She moved to San Francisco, CA in 1873 and lived there during the remainder of her life. Her most valued works include portraits and still lifes.

A Still Life with Fruits, Sweets, Nuts, and Wine, 1861, exhibits an arrangement of objects on a round table. A brown bag full of candy is placed on the left next to nuts that are neatly arranged around the edge of the brown paper bag. A glass bowl of apples is placed behind two small glasses of red wine. A carafe of wine is situated behind the glass bowl and silver basket full of bread and pastries. The painting is exquisitely detailed with the combination of textures and colors contributing to the vitality of the scene.