Original works of art

Steell came from a family of artists and first studied at the School of the Board of Manufacturers and later became a student of Robert Scott Lander. In 1846 he was made an associate of the Scottish Academy and academician in 1859. He was also curator of the National Gallery of Scotland and appointed to the Highland and Agricultural Society and followed his father D.G. Steell as lecturer in sculpture at Watt Institute in Edinburgh.

He became "Animal Painter for Scotland and after the death of Sir Edwin Landseer in 1873 he became court painter to Queen Victoria.

At the age of thirteen he first exhibited at the Scottish Academy. He exhibited 10 paintings at the Royal Academy from 1865 to 1880 including several dog titles. He was both a painter and a sculpture.