Description: Photograph of Lilly Martin Spencer, ca. 1900. Angelique Marie "Lilly" Martin was born in England in 1822 to French parents Gilles Marie Martin and Angelique Le Petit Martin. In 1830, her family left England for New York, where Gilles Martin taught French. The family eventually settled in Marietta, Ohio, three years after arriving to the United States. Spencer was home schooled by her mother and began drawing landscapes and portraits at a young age. She became famous for her domestic scenes, which she was commissioned to paint for housewives and prominent local businessmen in Marietta and later for middle class homes in New York City. During the Civil War, Spencer's work took on a more serious tone and in the later part of the 19th century she began to focus on rural life and detailed landscapes. She studied with Ohio artists Sala Bosworth, Charles Sullivan, and James Beard. Lilly married Benjamin Rush Spencer, an English tailor living in Cincinnati, soon after meeting him in 1844. The couple had 13 children, seven of whom survived. In 1848, the family moved to New York City, where Lilly showed her work at the National Academy of Design and the American Art-Union. Despite her popularity, she did not get enough commissions to support her family and began experimenting with lithographs, eventually becoming one of the most popular producers in New York City. After a brief time in New Jersey, the family moved to a farm in Highland, New York, in 1879, where they lived until Benjamin Spencer died in 1890. Lilly Martin Spencer continued her art career until her death on May 22, 1902. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS972_B01F22_01
Subjects: Spencer, Lilly Martin, 1822-1902; Multicultural Ohio--Ohio Women; Art, American--Ohio; Artists
Places: Marietta (Ohio); Washington County (Ohio)
 

Description: Prospect Hill, a historic district outside of downtown Cincinnati, is bounded by Liberty, Sycamore, Boal and Highland Streets. It is a part of the Mount Auburn district of Cincinnati. The buildings are mostly built of brick, and predominantly Italianate architecture, dating from 1860-1880. Greek Revival buildings were constructed from 1835 to 1860, predominately on the lower streets. The majority of the settlers of the area were Revolutionary War veterans. The Senator, George H. Pendleton had a house located at 559 Liberty Hill. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B04F01_005_01
Subjects: Cincinnati (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: This portrait of a seated young woman was taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912. Written on the negative is the last name McGregor and the location Highland, possibly Highland, West Virginia. Like most of Ewing's work, it was likely taken in the region of southeastern Ohio and central West Virginia. Born in 1870 in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta, Ewing most likely began his photography career in the 1890s. The 1910 US Census and a 1912-1913 directory list him as a photographer. A negative signed "Ewing Brothers" and a picture with his younger brother, Frank, indicate that Frank may have joined the business. After 1916, directories list Albert as a salesman. He died in 1934. The Ewing Collection consists of 5,055 glass plate negatives, each individually housed and numbered. Additionally, the collection includes approximately 450 modern contact prints made from the glass plate negatives. Subjects include infants and young children, elderly people, families, school and religious groups, animals and rural scenes. In 1982, the Ohio Historical Society (now the Ohio History Connection) received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio History Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV71_B23_F1908
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Photographers--Ohio; Portrait photography--United States--History
Places: Ohio; West Virginia