Maud Howe Elliott (1854–1948) was an American novelist, biographer, and travel writer whose literary career spanned over six decades. Born into a prominent intellectual family, she was the daughter of the acclaimed poet and activist Julia Ward Howe. Elliott established herself as a versatile writer, capturing the social landscapes of her era through fiction, travelogues, and memoirs.
She is perhaps best remembered for her collaborative biographical work. Alongside her sisters, Laura E. Richards and Florence Hall, she co-authored The Life of Julia Ward Howe (1916), a comprehensive account of their mother's life and legacy. The biography was highly acclaimed, earning the sisters the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 1917.
Beyond this landmark biography, Elliott was a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction. Her early novels, such as A Newport Aquarelle (1883) and Phillida (1891), explored the social spheres of high society, particularly in Newport, Rhode Island, a setting she returned to in her final work, This Was My Newport (1944). She also published several travel books detailing her experiences abroad, including Roma Beata, Letters from the Eternal City (1903) and Sun and Shadow in Spain (1908), as well as memoirs of her cousin, the novelist F. Marion Crawford, and her husband, the artist John Elliott.
