M. Ryerson (Born 1886 – Died 1989) was born in Morristown, New Jersey. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1909 in English from Vassar College. She continued her studies at the Cape School of Art in Provincetown MA as a pupil of Charles Hawthorne and at the Art Students League in New York with Robert Henri. Ryerson is noted for her portraits of children, and she also excelled as an oil painter. During her lifetime she was represented in New York by Grand Central Art Galleries, Chapellier and Macbeth. For a 20-year period, from 1920 to 1940, she taught art in New York settlement houses in exchange for the privilege of drawing and painting the children in their care. She also was a member of the National Academy of Design. During this period she created a series of fine prints and paintings depicting children of immigrants and the underclass.
This is what many scholars regard as her greatest achievement. They were done with such sensitivity and respect that they found universal demand and appeal. The UNCF has used her images on stamps and greeting cards. AAA NYC published a series of her lithographs and etchings. Many regard Ryerson’s images of children in performance, at play, and in repose, as some of the most beautiful pieces of art ever created. Her lithographs and etchings were included in exhibitions worldwide, including at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Paris Salon. A selection of her art was shown at the Provincetown Artists’ Association and Museum in 2008.
