Margery Ryerson papers
name: label: Creator
content: Ryerson, Margery
label: Names
content: Henri, Robert, 1865-1929
topic: label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Educators -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Authors -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Women painters
label: Topic
content: Women artists
label: Topic
content: Women printmakers
label: Topic
content: Women educators
label: Topic
content: Women authors
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Margery Austen Ryerson, in October 1960 and August 1967. A majority of the papers were donated in 2025 by Janet LeClair, widow of John LeClair, nephew of Robert Henri's sister-in-law.
creator: label: Creator
content: Ryerson, Margery
setName: label: See more items in
content: Margery Ryerson papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of painter, printmaker, educator, and author Margery Ryerson measure 8.4 linear feet and date from 1771-1999, with the bulk of the material dating from 1890-1986. The collection documents Ryerson's career through biographical material, personal and professional correspondence, writings and notes, scattered documentation related to exhibitions and personal business, printed material recording Ryerson's exhibitions and other professional activities, loose sketches and sketchbooks and some artwork by others, and extensive photographic material in a variety of formats documenting Ryerson and her family, models she worked with, and her artwork and source material.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Margery Ryerson (1886 – 1989) was a painter, printmaker, educator, and author active in New York City, New York. She studied at the Art Students League under Robert Henri.

Ryerson was born in Morristown, New Jersey in 1886 and graduated from Vassar College in 1909. After graduation she spent time at the Cape School of Art to study with Charles Hawthorne. Later, she moved to New York City to study at the Art Students League where she was inspired by the teachings of Robert Henri. She edited and compiled student remembrances, letters, and notes for a book on Henri entitled The Art Spirit (1924). 

Ryerson spent most of her career in New York City, teaching art to those living in settlement homes and featuring many of the children living there as subjects of her work. She painted many portraits of children and soldiers after World War II. 

Ryerson's mother, Mary McIlvaine Brown Ryerson, was a sculptor who worked in clay and bronze and studied with Augustus Saint-Gaudens, James Earl Fraser and Gutzon Borglum. She studied at the National Academy of Design and was present at the meeting during which the students voted to form the Art Students League in 1875. Her work was sold through Tiffany and Gorham. Her father, Margery's grandfather, was author James Brown who challenged traditional approaches to English grammar and published several works on language.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 8.4 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1771-1999
label: Date
content: bulk 1890-1986
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.ryermarg
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Scrapbooks
label: Type
content: Sketchbooks
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Motion pictures
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as seven series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1771-1986 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1, OV 10)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1899-1999 (1 linear foot; Boxes 1-2)

Series 3: Writings and Notes, 1843-1986 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 2-3)

Series 4: Exhibition and Personal Business Records, 1960s-1986 (0.1 linear feet; Box 3)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1906-1990 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 3-4, OVs 10-11, Volume 9)

Series 6: Artwork and Sketchbooks, circa 1790-circa 1960s (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 4-5, OVs 10-11)

Series 7: Photographic Material, circa 1850s-1980s (4 linear feet; Boxes 5-8, OV 10-11)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2021. The 2025 addition was processed and merged with the prior donation and the finding aid was updated by Stephanie Ashley in 2025.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reels 962 and 3471 at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Scrapbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketchbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Motion pictures
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of painter, printmaker, educator, and author Margery Ryerson measure 8.4 linear feet and date from 1771-1999, with the bulk of the material dating from 1890-1986. 

The collection documents Ryerson's career through biographical material, family history and genealogy records, and records of the many awards Ryerson received throughout her career. Ryerson's Personal and professional correspondence provides scattered documentation of Ryerson's family relationships and friendships and of many aspects of her career including publication of her writings, portrait commissions, her work with Robert Henri on the book The Art Spirit, and exhibitions and sales of her work. Ryerson's interest in family history, including the work of her grandfather John Brown, is evident in Correspondence and other series. Portions of draft writings and notes relate to The Art Spirit, Ryerson's artistic approaches and techniques, and family history.  Printed material records Ryerson's career through clippings, announcements and catalogs and documents her choice of subjects through collections of source material. Some loose sketches and sketchbooks contain a small number of sketches. Ryerson's immediate and extended family and friends are captured in portraits and snapshots in a variety of photographic media, and her use of photographs for source material and studies of her subjects is also well documented in photographic prints, negatives, slides, transparencies, and film and microfilm reels.

Scattered documentation of the career of Ryerson's mother, Mary McIlvaine Brown Ryerson, can be found throughout the collection including biographical material, letters, writings, and photographs of her mother with her some of her artwork.