Susan Spence Portrait. Spence Photography.

Susan Spence, Photographer. Blanchester was lucky to have a photographer of Susan's caliber in such a small town. Her "cabinet cards" can still be found across the internet. Cabinet cards were oversized prints mounted on rigid card board which usually was richly designed. These were meant to be displayed in your cabinet (bookshelf).

"One of the many establishments caught up in the great fire of 1895 was the Spence Photographic Studio owned by Miss Susan Spence shown here in a photo taken of her in January of 1888. Born on June 24th, 1844 to Andrew & Mary Maclay Spence, she is listed as a portrait artist in the 1880 census. Her loss in the 1895 fire was given as $1000. She was still in the business in 1910 with her occupation listed as photographer in the census of Harlan Twp., Warren County, Oh. By 1920 she is listed as being retired & died on April 4th, 1926 in Harlan Twp., Warren County of stomach cancer.

She is buried in the Murdock Cemetery near Mainville.."

Source: The original portrait of Susan can be viewed at the Blanchester Area Historical Society.