Try to distance yourself from the ST and apply a bit of idiomatic English:

Ellas no se inclinan por la pintura.
-->
They had no bent for painting.

Meaning of “bent” | Collins American English for Learners
www.collinsdictionary.com › American English for Learners
5. singular noun. If you have a bent for something, you have a natural ability to do it or a natural interest in it. ⇒ His bent for natural history directed him towards ...

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Note added at 4 hrs (2014-12-11 22:10:18 GMT)
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BTW, also very common in UK English:
Definition of “bent” | Collins English Dictionary
www.collinsdictionary.com › English Dictionary
British English: bent If you have a bent for something, you have a natural ability to do it or a natural interest in it. NOUNHis bent for natural history directed him ...

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Note added at 5 hrs (2014-12-11 23:01:24 GMT)
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Following up Asker's note below:
The fact that the writer is a 'teenager in 1874' is context that you could usefully have mentioned when posting your question. Unless it's drawn to their attention, everyone here tends to assume everything refers to 'today', not to 'times past'.

With that in mind, you'd do well to check that 'having a bent for' isn't a linguistic anachronism.