Stella Louise Margaret Schmolle [also known as Stella L. M. Schmolle and as Stella Schmolle] was born in London on 10 July 1908 and studied at Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. She subsequently worked as a painter, lithographer and commercial artist. During World War Two she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service with the rank of Sergeant. She was also employed on camouflage and as an ATS intelligence officer. Although she appears not to have been an Official War Artist, she received encouragement and assistance from the War Artists' Advisory Committee (WAAC) to produce paintings documenting the work of the ATS and seventeen of these pictures were subsequently purchased by the WAAC. Following the war she taught at Central School of Arts and Crafts.