From then until the 1960s, it was one of the leading studios in Seattle. They were located in the Loveless Studio building. Her eyesight began to fail and at the age of 91, she retired. Her work is documented in the book "Captive Light: The Life and Photography of Ella E. McBride" by Margaret E. Bullock and David F. Martin. McBride died at 102 years and 10 months of age on September 14, 1965, when she was still vital and clear-minded. Some of her negatives from 1917 to the 1950s are at the Seattle's Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI); others were destroyed. Fifteen photographs taken by McBride or her studio are among the collection of the University of Washington Libraries. They include studio portraits, such as poet Don Blanding, and images of the University of Washington campus. McBride's works are included in the collections of: