Ship portrait, signed lower right. Oil painting of the full-rigged ship Deva' in starboard-broadside view, flying a house flag of the number '2' on a white field within a blue border, and her code number. Her name is painted on the hull. Shakespeare Cliff and Dover Castle are in the far right background, with what may be part of the pier at Dover: This is likely to be the Admiralty Pier first completed in 1854, but extended in 1864 and this picture may be about that time, since it is also shown more complete in BHC3363 (by Richard Ball Spencer, William's father) of 1872. For details of Richard, see BHC3217.

William Ball Spencer was born on 22 June 1854 in Stepney and baptized there at St Thomas's on 30 July 1854. On 12 October 1873 at Trinity Church, Stepney, he married Fanny Wardill, aged 20, daughter of Jonathan Wardill, a civil engineer. The 1881 census places him, aged 27, at 8 High Street, Poplar as a 'marine artist' living with his wife Fanny (27, b. Stepney), their four sons ranging from aged 7 to 5 months, and their Sheerness-born servant, Charles C. Seward, aged 16. The last is listed as 'Shop boy to Artist' which suggests William was running an establishment where he also sold his work, perhaps with prints and similar items. Spencer died at Thorpe, Essex, on 23 September 1923. In the latter part of his life there he is thought to have become a nurseryman and florist, probably because painting was no longer a viable occupation. The second name of the Spencers (both Richard and William) has sometimes previously been given as 'Barnett' not Ball: this is incorrect but where the error originated is not clear. (We are grateful to Sue Peacock, a descendant, for the birth date and death information supplied here.)