death_place death_date birth_place nationality birth_date known_for spouse article_title name
providence , rhode island 10 november 1862 rehoboth , massachusetts american 9 june 1792 portraits james phillips -lrb- 1819-1823 , divorced -rrb- susanna paine
 susanna paine
susanna paine

susanna paine , also known as susannah and susan -lrb- june 9 , 1792 -- november 10 , 1862 -rrb- , was an american portrait artist in new england in the 19th century .
she published poetry , a christmas hymn , a novel , and an autobiography entitled `` roses and thorns , or recollections of an artist '' .
as a young girl she was an excellent student , but needed to quit school at the age of 11 to care for her ill grandmother .
at 15 , she taught school and a year later joined an academy in providence , rhode island , where she earned her way through school by making and selling needlework .
she graduated with highest honors and established a school that she operated for years .
paine gave the profits her family , and she helped support them throughout most of her life .
she had a short marriage characterized by abuse and control .
a child was born to the couple , but died 11 months later .
before the child 's birth , paine had left her husband and obtained a divorce .
to support herself , she taught school for a period and then began to work as a portraitist .
she traveled throughout rhode island , massachusetts , and maine accepting commissions for portraits of individuals or families from 1826 through 1862 .
because she lived a mobile lifestyle , she had few long-lasting relationships .
the closest personal relationship of her life was with her mother .
she raised a girl , however , for three years and taught her how to paint .
once she became a professional portraitist she had periods of financial security , but that and her physical health vacillated over the course of her career .
