Yelland was born in London, England and moved to New York with his family, where he studied at the National Academy of Design. Following service in the Civil War, Yelland moved to San Francisco in 1874 to take a teaching position at Mills College. He left after only three years, heading to Paris for further study. Upon his return to San Francisco, Yelland was named assistant director, then director of the San Francisco School of Design, where he influenced a number of California's most famous early artists. For years he maintained studios in San Francisco and Carmel, and is best remembered for his dramatic Hudson River-style landscapes and sunset paintings.