Celebrating Illinois Women Artists

He was interested in encouraging people to move to the Midwest, especially Chicago— and hopefully buy his equipment. He wrote articles published in East Coast magazines telling the advantages and prospective greatness of Chicago.

Along with portrait commissions, Susan painted floral still lifes and genre pictures of children. She displayed her work in the first exhibition of Chicago artists, held in 1864 in the Art Emporium on Washington Street.

Two hundred paintings were shown. Hers was acknowledged in the newspaper. The reviewer said that "she has very fine talent— nay, genius—for color."1 A year earlier, Susan had donated work to the Northwestern Soldier's Fair to aid the sick and wounded from the Civil War.