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which she resolved to conquer. Her unwillingness to be taught arose from the self-reliance of an independent character, and not from an inflated idea of her own acquirements. 
Her parents became more and more solicitous to give her all the advantages they could procure; and a letter from a wealthy gentleman of Cincinnati, describing the opportunities that would be offered for studying in that city, determined them to leave the farm and remove thither.
[[left margin]] *4 [[/left margin]] Miss Martin's pictures were exhibited in Cincinnati, and attracted the attention of connoisseurs. They were large, as her figures of life size best enlisted her own sympathies. *4 Her battle with the world now commenced in earnest. The jealousy of rival artists was awakened by the certainty that a rising genius had come among them. Flippant critics pleased others and their own vanity by decrying her productions. But she continued to paint, and sometimes had good fortune in disposing of her pictures, practicing her art with undiminished industry and enthusiasm, even while discouraged by the want of patronage. 
On one occasion she was in company with Lord Morpeth. Addressing him as "Mr. Morpeth," she was reminded apart by her father that she ought to say "my lord." "No, indeed," replied the young lady; "I never saw a man I would call 'my lord' yet."
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*6 [[/left margin]] Miss Martin was married in Cincinnati to Mr. Spencer. When surrounded by the cares of a young family she continued to paint, but her style changed. At first her pictures had been poetical and semi-allegorical. She liked to embody some suggestive idea, or a whole history, in a group, as in several of her scenes from Shakespears [[Shakespeare]]. *5 Her "Water Sprite", *6 representing the escape of Spring from Winter, is of this class. After she became a mother, her taste was more for bits of domestic life, and she found matter-of-fact pictures more salable than her cherished ideals. 
[[left margin]] *7 [[/left margin]] After living some seven years in Cincinnati, Mrs. Spencer returned with her family to New York, stopping a year in Columbus, Ohio, where she painted portraits and fancy-pieces. In New York she visited the Academy for the purpose of improving herself by drawing after the antique, often going in the evening, as her labors and cares absorbed her during the day, and sitting among the male art-students. One, who noticed the quiet, modest-looking girl at work, undertook to point out the best models, but soon discovered he was trying to teach his superior. She was made a member of the Academy. Her "May Queen" and "Choose Between" were much praised in the Art Union Exhibition. "The Jolly Washerwoman," sold by that institution, became celebrated. It was painted impromptu from a scene in the artist's own kitchen. A connoisseur was so much pleased with one of her pictures *7 that he insisted on paying more than was asked for it. 
"The Flower Girl" and Domestic Felicity," exhibited in Philadelphia, elicited general admiration, and proved Mrs. Spencer's possession of the highest order of talent. A connoisseur remarked that the latter picture excelled any other production that had appeared in the gallery since its first opening. Its vigor and freshness were as remarkable as its rich and harmonious coloring, while the drawing and composition were pronounced admirable. It represented a mother and father bending over their sleeping children, and several artists observed that they knew of no one who could surpass the painting of the mother's hand. The managers of the Art Union in Philadelphia were so delighted with this picture that a few of their number privately subscribed to purchase it, the rules not allowing directors to expend the funds except for paintings selected by the prizeholders. It was afterward sold to an association in the West. The Western Art Union purchased several of Mrs. Spencer's works, and had one engraved for their annual presentation plate. 
[[left margin]] *8 [[/left margin]] Mrs. Spencer found her kitchen scenes so popular that she adopted that comic, familiar style in many of her paintings. "Shake Hands?" represents a girl making pastry, and holding out her floured hand with a humorous smile. This manner the artist has been obliged to adhere to on account of the ready sale of such pictures, while the subjects that better pleased her own taste have been neglected. Yet she has contrived to introduce a moral into every one of her comic pieces. *8 "The

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