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Buell Mullen (1901-1986) was a muralist and portrait painter active in New York City and Chicago, Illinois. She developed a process for painting on stainless steel.
Buell Mullen was born Frances Vedder Buell in Chicago, Illinois. Drawn to its ability to reflect light, Mullen developed a technique combining etching and acid treatments to ensure oil paintings adhere to stainless steel. Her first work on stainless steel was a portrait of General John J. Pershing. Later, she produced a portrait of President Dwight Eisenhower. She completed many murals for steel companies, colleges, and institutions around the Great Lakes region. Also, she served as a United States representative to UNESCO.
Buell married J. Bernard Mullen and together they had two sons. Mullen died in Chicago, Illinois in 1986.
