Tuhia he tohutoro mō tēnei wāhanga - I whānau a Elmer Hader ki Pajaro, California, engari i noho ia i te nuinga o tōna tamarikitanga ki San Francisco. I te 16 o ona tau, hei mema o te National Guard, i awhina ia ki te whakahoki mai i te tikanga ki San Francisco i muri i te ruu 1906
He aha? I mahi poto ia i roto i tetahi roopu tirotiro i te Awa o Amerika (tata ki Sacramento, California), ka hoki ki San Francisco ki te mahi hei kaipatu ahi i runga i te State Belt Railroad (he tereina taha-taha e mahi ana hei waka mo nga taonga me nga taangata), i mahi ai tona papa hei miihini. I whakamahia e Elmer ana whiwhinga mai i tenei mahi ki te utu i tana wa tuatahi ki te Kura Hoahoa o California. I whiwhi ia i nga karahipi ki te whakaoti i te kura (1907<unk>1910). I uru hoki a Elmer ki te whare tapere, a i tautokohia e nga roopu whakaari e rua, tae atu ki tana wa i Paris i te Académie Julian mai i te 1912-1914. He tino angitu ia i nga mahinga vaudeville i Parani me te US (i runga i te ara Pantages), i reira ka mahi ia i tetahi mahi "Painting a Minute" ana, i muri mai, he mahinga whakapakoko ora (i hangaia ai nga tangata kia rite ki nga whakapakoko), i whakaaro ia ki te whakarere i tana whaainga mo te wa roa hei kaitoi. Ehara i te mea i pera. I hoki ia ki San Francisco, i whakatu i tetahi whare whakairo i te papa o ona matua, i peita, i whakaako toi, i whakarite whakaaturanga. Ko Elmer te kaitoi tuatahi i whakaatuhia i roto i te whakaaturanga kaupapa kotahi-tangata i te Palace of Fine Arts. I whakauruhia ia ki te Ope Taua o Amerika ka hoki ki Parani i te tau 1918 hei mema o te Camouflage Corps, i te wa tonu i tonoa ai a Berta e Ms. Beatty kia haere mai ki New York ki te mahi whakaahua hoahoa ahua i "McCalls".