Dancing the Quadrille Backwards with Lilly Martin Spencer

Out of all seven women featured in this series, Angelique Marie Lilly Martin Spencer was unique for her outstanding and magical upbringing. Born in England in 1822 to French highly educated parents, Lilly was encouraged to pursue her artistic path at an early age and had the added benefit of a home-school education. The family relocated often first from England to New York then Marietta, Ohio and later to other locations to further benefit Lilly’s art instruction.

Go Ahead, Draw on the Walls

Her favorite subjects included depicting lifelike recognizable renditions of the household members drawn on walls of the family home with no admonishment. Angelique Martin, Lilly’s mother, was a forward-thinking woman who believed in more opportunities for women. Ironic that her daughter would eventually paint a portrait of Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Lilly’s talent was apparent and observed by many who urged her to keep searching and honing her skills with a proper teacher. Because of her engaging personality and obvious longing for learning, she soon found tutelage with Sala Bosworth and Charles Sullivan who both trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

A Wealthy Benefactor Never Hurts

Of great fortune, Lilly acquired an enthusiastic benefactor who helped her financially in addition advising her to refrain from exhibiting until she had more training.  She promptly ignored this advice and traveled with her father to Cincinnati where she spent the next seven years studying and exhibiting. Most women in this era approached art as a past time but Lilly thought of it as her career, a rare attitude for sure. During this time at age 22, she married Benjamin Spencer.

As I have discussed in previous posts and as we all know, marriage, children, and family have a huge impact in life in general, but it is particularly difficult for women to balance home life and a career. Some of the featured women had no children and one, Rachel Ruysch, had 10. In her situation, she had a lucrative career which allowed funds to help with care.

Victorian Era Michael Keaton

Lilly had thirteen! Benjamin became the 19^th Century Mr. Mom and no longer pursued a career instead choosing to stay at home and care for the children and take care of the household. The difference being in the movie Mr. Mom had three children. Benjamin had a baker’s dozen! It is said that though the family was large, it was a happy one but understandably soon ran into financial difficulties with Lilly the only breadwinner.

In the ensuing years, the family moved to New York where Lilly exhibited as her fame grew. She painted genre scenes, figures, portraits, pets, models and sold lithographs of her paintings (with little profit) while illustrating books and magazines. Social tastes in art changed and her style became out of touch, but she continued to work, doing portraits of both the First Lady Caroline Harrison and suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Bartering for Services

Lilly’s financial situation was never secure and after Benjamin died, she sold her farm and often had to barter her paintings to pay for services. In spite of financial chaos, she persisted while confronting the usual challenges that all artists must face. However, in a male dominated field, it can be especially arduous for women on their artistic journey. Even though Lilly had fame during her lifetime, her name is rarely seen today. Lilly Martin Spencer died in 1902 at age 80.

Our Last Dance

This seventh and final episode brings the Dancing Backwards Series to an end. As always before in my various Lessons Series Projects, I have learned a great deal about here-to-fore unknown or rarely known women artists and the hardships they faced. Life itself can be complicated but when you compound that with unequal social mores and barriers it gets even tougher. In many ways, each of the seven women featured here faced some sort of financial or career-based discrimination. Sadly, in many ways this is happening today not just in the art world but many facets of our lives all over the world. My hope is that someday all women and girls have the freedom to pursue whatever passions they desire.

Dancing Backwards in High Heels, a Pigment Project to be revealed at Bronze Coast Gallery May 3, Cannon Beach, Oregon