Ellis was born on 27 January 1842 in St Luke's, London to James and Sarah Ellis, who at that time already had 5 children and later would have 7 more.
 As a child he became apprenticed to the circus performers James and Sara Conroy.
They travelled throughout Europe, with Ellis becoming a tightrope walker.
During a trip to Paris, James Conroy and Richard Ellis became interested in photography and attended the Daguerre Institute.
They later travelled throughout Italy and Sicily, but events related to the Italian unification led them to move to the nearest British colony, the Crown Colony of Malta.
James, Sarah Conroy, their 1 yeard old baby, Adelaide Anceschi and Richard Ellis arrived on the island in April 1861, when Richard became an apprentice in James Conroy's first studio in   Senglea.
Ellis was born on 27 January 1842 in St Luke's, London to James and Sarah Ellis, who at that time already had 5 children and later would have 7 more.  As a child he became apprenticed to the circus performers James and Sara Conroy. They travelled throughout Europe, with Ellis becoming a tightrope walker. During a trip to Paris, James Conroy and Richard Ellis became interested in photography and attended the Daguerre Institute. They later travelled throughout Italy and Sicily, but events related to the Italian unification led them to move to the nearest British colony, the Crown Colony of Malta. James, Sarah Conroy, their 1 yeard old baby, Adelaide Anceschi and Richard Ellis arrived on the island in April 1861, when Richard became an apprentice in James Conroy's first studio in   Senglea.
Richard Ellis (Maltese photographer)