18thVirginia
Major
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2012
While researching works by soldier artists of the Civil War, I came across the paintings of Lilly Martin Spencer. We're often told what the norms were for women in the 19th Century, but discover many exceptions to what was thought to be "The Rule." Lilly Martin Spencer certainly seems to have been one such exception. Born in England in 1822 and raised in Ohio by Quaker parents, she demonstrated artistic ability quite young in life and was encouraged in her work by various local artists. In her 20s, she moved to Cincinnati, where she worked and studied for the next 7 years. She also married Benjamin Rush Spencer in Cincinnati.
Martin Spencer would eventually move to New York and then to New Jersey. Her husband dedicated himself to helping her artistic endeavors and to maintaining their household. Lilly Spencer would have 13 children during the marriage, 7 of whom survived into adulthood. Money was always a problem for the Spencers, even though Lilly was quite a popular artist, with numerous lithographs produced from her paintings.
What struck me were the paintings of women at work in the home, as I'm probably not a great visualizer and want to see how people of the time looked. They remind me of some of the Dutch and Flemish paintings of women at household tasks, but with more humor.
We talk a lot in this forum about women of the Civil War era--I like to see exactly what they looked like. With her focus on women in her paintings, Lilly Martin Spencer accomplished that.
The Jolly Washerwoman, 1851
Shake Hands?
Martin Spencer would eventually move to New York and then to New Jersey. Her husband dedicated himself to helping her artistic endeavors and to maintaining their household. Lilly Spencer would have 13 children during the marriage, 7 of whom survived into adulthood. Money was always a problem for the Spencers, even though Lilly was quite a popular artist, with numerous lithographs produced from her paintings.
What struck me were the paintings of women at work in the home, as I'm probably not a great visualizer and want to see how people of the time looked. They remind me of some of the Dutch and Flemish paintings of women at household tasks, but with more humor.
We talk a lot in this forum about women of the Civil War era--I like to see exactly what they looked like. With her focus on women in her paintings, Lilly Martin Spencer accomplished that.
The Jolly Washerwoman, 1851
Shake Hands?
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