Elmer (Al) Stanhope honed his art skills at the Chicago Art Institute, and came to the Bay Area to further his studies with Charles Horton at San Jose State College. He remained in California, becoming a prominent western artist and was one of the founders of the Hayward Art Association. Elmer Stanhope was a World War II veteran, and partnered with another well known artist of his time, Will Frates. Together, they opened the Frates-Stanhope Art Studio on Foothill Boulevard in Hayward.

Stanhope favored "California Watercolor Style" landscapes and marine subjects.

His works, including oils, watercolors, and graphic art were exhibited at the Legion of Honor in 1948 where he won first prize for a watercolor entitled "Zinnias." His works have been shown at the Oakland Museum, and the De Young and Crocker Galleries in San Francisco. He has also exhibited his works in Carmel, Santa Cruz, and Vallejo.He died a day after his forty-ninth birthday of a heart attack while visiting Newport Beach, July 24, 1956. After his death, the city of Hayward named a street in his memory.

Source: Askart ... Biography submitted by Joyce Freitas, great niece of William E. Frates, former partner of Elmer Stanhope.