Ema Spencer (March 1, 1857 – September 30, 1941) was an American photographer, newspaper columnist, and teacher from Newark, Ohio. In 1898, alongside Clarence H. White, Spencer was one of the co-founders of the Newark Camera Club, an amateur photography club.
Ema Spencer | |
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Born | March 1, 1857 Gratiot, Ohio, U.S. |
Died | September 30, 1941 (aged 84) Newark, Ohio, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Known for | Photography |
Style | Pictorialism |
Movement | Photo-Secession |
Ema Spencer was born to Dr. Benjamin Franklin Spencer and his wife, Susan Porter Spencer, in the Licking County, Ohio village of Gratiot. She had a sister, Carolyn, and a brother, Charles Hildreth. She attended Newark High School where she graduated Valedictorian and she went on to study at the Young Ladies' Institute in nearby Granville.[1]
In early 1898 Spencer and Clarence H. White co-founded the Newark Camera Club, a group of fifteen amateur photographers from the city.[2] That fall she served as the Secretary for the newly established Ohio State Association of Amateur Photographers.[3] Spencer's photography career continued until at least 1914 despite the Newark Camera Club's dissolution in 1906 when White left for New York.
Year | Exhibition | Location | Notes |
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1898 | Newark Camera Club[4] | 161 North 4th St., Newark, Ohio, U.S. | Held at Ema Spencer's home |
1899 | Newark Camera Club[5] | YMCA, Newark, Ohio, U.S. | |
1899 | Philadelphia Salon[6] | Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
1900 | Chicago Photographic Salon[7] | The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
1900 | Third Philadelphia Photographic Salon[8] | Alfred Stieglitz, Gertrude Käsebier, Clarence H. White, Frank Eugene served as jury members | |
1900 | Newark Camera Club | YMCA, Newark, Ohio, U.S. | |
1901 | New York Camera Club | ||
1901 | Ninth Annual Exhibition of the Photographic Salon | Dudley Gallery at the Egyptian Hall, London, UK | Organized by the Linked Ring |
1902 | The "Photo-Secession" at the Arts Club | National Arts Club, New York City, U.S. | |
1902 | International Exposition | Turin, Italy | Awarded the silver medal |
1903 | The First International Exhibition for Contemporary Picture-Photography | Wiesbaden, Germany | Awarded unknown medal |
1903 | An Exhibition of Salon Photographs | The Photographic Society of Philadelphia | |
1906 | Fourteenth Annual Exhibition of the Photographic Salon | London, UK | |
1907 | Annual Member's Exhibition, New York Photo Club | New York City, U.S. | |
1910 | International Exhibition of Pictorial Photography | Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, U.S. | |
1911 | International Exposition | Hamburg, Germany | Awarded unknown medal |
1912 | An Exhibition Illustrating the Progress of the Art of Photography | Montross Art Galleries, New York City, U.S. | |
1914 | Ema Spencer[9] | Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, Brooklyn, New York City | Solo exhibition |
1914 | The Fifty-Ninth Annual Exhibition of the Royal Photographic Society | Gallery of the Royal Society of British Artists, London, UL | |
1988 | In Pursuit of Art Amid Difficulties | The Ohio State University, Newark Art Gallery, the Lancaster Library, and the Ohio Historical Society | Posthumous. Organized by the Ohio State University, Newark and the Licking County Historical Society |
2020 | No Mere Button-Pressers: Clarence H. White, Ema Spencer, and The Newark Camera Club[10] | Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ohio, U.S. and The Works, Newark, Ohio, U.S. | Posthumous |
Early in her life Spencer held a variety of jobs at the Newark Advocate. In the 1880s she was managing three of the departments at the paper. In 1916 Spencer began writing a daily column called "The Melting Pot" under the pen name "Aunt Ca'line." She continued the column for 25 years, stopping only near the end of her life.
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