Portrait of a Scottish Boy - Like Robert Henri

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.[6]
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)[4]

Her work is also held in the permanent collections of many institutions including, the Smithsonian, Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.[1]
Ryerson was also a member of many organizations, including, the National Academy of Design.[4] Other organizations Ryerson was associated with include the Allied Artists of America, American Watercolor Society, Audubon Society of Artists, Brooklyn Society of Artists, National Academy of Design, National Arts Club, Society of American Etchers, Washington DC Watercolor Society, and Woodstock Art Association.[7]
Writing and editing experience
Ryerson was also involved in the creation of two well known art instruction books; Robert Henri’s The Art Spirit and Charles Hawthorne’s Hawthorne on Painting. Ryerson’s class notes and commentary contributed a lot to both books.[8] Ryerson actually proposed the idea of creating a book to Robert Henri. They worked together to edit and complete the book.[5] The Art Spirit is a very influential and popular book in the art community.[5] The Art Spirit has been in publication ever since 1923