Emily Shanks, also known as Emilia Yakovlevna Shanks, was born on August 1, 1857, in Moscow and passed away on January 13, 1936, in London. She was a Russian-British artist living in Moscow and became the first woman admitted to the Russian Society of Traveling Art Exhibitions, known as the Wanderers.

Emily was the second daughter of James Stewart Shanks and Mary Louise Shilling. James arrived in Moscow in 1852 and, together with the Swede Henrik Conrad Bolin, founded a successful shop "Shanks & Bolin, Magasin Anglais." This provided the Shanks family with a comfortable life and the opportunity for the daughters to interact with Moscow's intelligentsia.

Emily's elder sister, Louisa Shanks, married Aylmer Maud and translated Tolstoy's novels into English, which were published by Oxford University Press and considered the best translations of their time. Emily's younger sister, Mary, was a friend of Tolstoy's eldest daughter, Tatiana, and both sisters visited the Tolstoy home.

Emilia began her studies at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture around 1882 under the guidance of renowned Wanderers: Vasily Polenov, Vladimir Makovsky, and Illarion Prjanishnikov. In 1890, she received a "large silver medal" for her painting "Reading a Letter" and graduated from the school with the title of "artist."

Emily befriended artist Elena Polenova and her brother Vasily. She and her sister Mary often painted with the Polenovs, as reflected in Polenov's letters from the winters of 1891 and 1892. In 1891, her painting "Elder Brother" was accepted at the Wanderers' exhibition and caught the attention of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

In 1892, the painting "The New Girl at School" was also exhibited by the Wanderers and highly praised by Ilya Repin. It was acquired by Pavel Tretyakov and is still held in the Tretyakov Gallery. In 1894, Emily became the first woman elected as a full member of the Wanderers for her painting "Ink Stain."

From 1891 to 1915, Emily participated in 19 Wanderers exhibitions. She also exhibited with the "Moscow Union of Artists," the "Moscow Society of Lovers of the Arts," and at the "Lemercier Gallery" in Moscow.

With the onset of World War I, Emily and much of the Shanks family returned to London. The family business and home were lost during the Russian Revolution. In 1916 and 1918, Emily exhibited her works at the summer exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts, presenting paintings "A Bit of Moscow" and "Peaceful Moscow." Emily died at the age of 78 and was buried at Kingston Cemetery.