Madron Gallery

Emma Burbank married Edward Ayer in 1865. She was a formidable partner to the railroad tie manufacturer, as an avid reader and adventurer. The couple traveled extensively, with Emma planning expeditions to Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Finding information on these locales lacking, in 1911, she published a book on North Africa, titled, “A Motor Trip Flight Through Algeria and Tunisia,” which featured her own photographs and ethnological research. She would also become one of the first non-native women to descend into the Grand Canyon; Ayer Point was named in her honor.

The Ayers amassed a large collection of rare books and artifacts, making substantial donations to cultural institutions and serving as founding members of both the Newberry Library and the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

Robert Reid’s portrait hints at Emma's wealth in her necklace and ring, her beauty equated to the floral bouquet she cradles in her arm, but it's in his brushstrokes that we see a reflection of the dynamic woman. Leaving open canvas, room to move, unfixed on the page.

Robert Reid (1862–1929), "Emma Burbank Ayer," 1897,
oil on canvas, 36 x 24 inches. Check her out on Artsy: https://tinyurl.com/Emma-Burbank-Ayer

Philip Evergood's work has often been described as grotesque. Not without reason; his paintings are frequently populated by figures with emaciated forms and ghastly physiognomies. In "The Cheering Crowd," a group of workers—likely miners—peer up at a raised platform with expressions of intense anticipation. While the white figures surrounding him appear ghoulishly thin, a single Black man stands in the middle ground with a look of determination and dignity.

The imagery likely reflects the Depression of the late-1930s, a period when fierce competition for mining jobs in the post-WWII era led to massive layoffs of miners in the U.S.; which disproportionately affected Black miners. As a Works Progress Administration artist and former president of the New York Artists’ Union, Evergood used his art to highlight the struggles of the working class and African Americans.

Philip Evergood (1901–1973), "The Cheering Crowd," mixed media on paper laid on board, 25.75 x 20 inches