Margery Ryerson paints a stunning portrait of a boy dressed in
Scottish clothes. The paint application is quick and loose but based on a
sound academic understanding of how to construct a head. She was a
student and champion of Robert Henri, and the present work reflects the
master's influence to the point that one could confuse it with a Henri.
Signed
lower right M. Ryerson. Framed. High gloss varnish brings out the color
of the work. Best viewed with a top gallery light. Oil on canvas laid
on to wood board. Framed size 23 x 19

From New York State Museum - Margery Ryerson: Art is Contagious
November 23, 2024 - September 7, 2025

Margery Ryerson (1886–1989), best known for compiling the influential
notes of artist Robert Henri, for the 1923 publication, The Art Spirit,
was important in her own right as a prolific painter and printmaker
whose artistic career spanned an impressive seven decades. Her diverse
subjects included landscapes, cityscapes, still lifes, and portraits.
She gained critical acclaim for her candid depictions of children,
particularly those in settlement houses where she taught. Additionally,
Ryerson wrote articles, reviews, and poetry and applied her illustrative
skills to books, greeting cards, and calendars. She also led painting
demonstrations and exhibited widely at museums, galleries, schools, and
churches, establishing a lasting legacy as both an artist and educator.

This exhibition features over 80 artworks and objects, including
Ryerson’s oil paintings, prints, and photographs, along with personal
items like a paintbrush and a sketchbook. Through her work, the exhibit
delves into themes central to Ryerson's life, including the "new
immigrant" experience in New York City from 1880–1914 and the role of
settlement houses in supporting these communities. Often depicted in her
portraits and scenes, these settlement houses provided essential
services and served as inspiration for much of her work. Complementing
Ryerson’s pieces are artifacts from immigrant life, including cultural
items, identification papers, and historical photographs, offering a
fuller understanding of the communities that shaped her art

Margery Austen Ryerson (September 15, 1886 – March 30, 1989)[2] was
an American artist, painter, etcher, lithographer and watercolorist.[1]
Her work is included in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art
Museum.[3]
Biography

Ryerson earned her Bachelor's of Fine Arts in English from Vassar
College in Poughkeepsie, New York, after attending private schools in
Morristown.[4] She went on to study under Charles Hawthorne at the Cape
Cod School of Art in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and with Robert Henri
at the Art Students League in New York.[4]

During the years 1920 through 1940 Ryerson taught in New York
settlement houses. There she got the privilege to paint and draw the
children in their care. The subjects of these paintings were often the
children of the underclass and immigrants. Her artistic technique and
subjects gained universal recognition and appealed to many people.[4]
Miss Ryerson is most known for her portraits, child genre paintings and
etches.[5] Her art frequently shows children or people doing common
everyday activities, such as reading, knitting, playing with toys and
sleeping. A key element of Ryerson's art that sets her apart from
similar artists, is that she tends to portray the children in paintings
alone, without the presence of a maternal figure.[6] Margery Ryerson
chose to depict children independently in pictures, partly from Robert
Henri’s teachings that kids could be the subjects of paintings just as
much as adults could. However, it is also because of the environment/
location that she painted in at the beginning of her career. At first
she was not involved with families who could afford to pay for a
portrait. So that’s when she became exposed to the less privileged
children. Then later she sought out independent, self-reliant
children.[6] Ryerson has also painted landscapes, city scapes, nudes,
and still-life.
Achievements

The Associated American Artists NYC published a series of her
etchings and lithographs. The United Nations has also used Ryerson’s
work on greeting cards and stamps. Furthermore her art was included at
many exhibitions. These exhibitions include…

The Grand Central Art Galleries entitled Herni and Ryerson, the Art Spirit
The Paris Salon (1921)
The Art Institute of Chicago (1922)
The Newark Museum entitled The Eight and Their Influence (1984)
The Provincetown Artists’ Association and Museum (2008)