Kyra Markham

© Estate of the artist. Photograph and digital image © Delaware Art Museum. Not for reproductio…
Kyra Markham
© Estate of the artist. Photograph and digital image © Delaware Art Museum. Not for reproduction or publication.

Kyra Markham

American actress, painter and printmaker, 1891–1967
BiographyKyra Markham (1891–1967) was an actress, figurative painter and printmaker. Markham was born Elaine Hyman in Chicago, Illinois. She studied drawing at the Chicago Art Institute from 1907 to 1909, and subsequently worked as a muralist and printmaker. In addition to her work as an artist, Markham was an accomplished actress. She appeared with the Chicago Little Theater from 1909 to the 1920s, with the Provincetown Players from 1916, and in silent films in Los Angeles. While acting, she supplemented her income by painting murals and as an illustrator. In 1930, she returned to concentrate on art when she studied at the Art Students League in New York. In 1934, she studied printmaking which was the pivotal moment in her career as an artist. Markham received the prestigious Mary S. Collins Prize at the Philadelphia Print Club’s annual exhibition for her lithograph Elin and Maria (1934). From 1935 to 1937, she worked in the Graphic Arts Division for the Federal Arts Project, a New Deal program designed to provide employment for artists during the Depression. During World War II, Markham created propaganda satirizing the Nazis and promoting patriotism at home. Kyra Markham lived in Haiti for several years in the 1940s. She became involved in the Haitian cultural scene, participating in exhibitions and collaborating with local artists. Markham is known for her paintings, which often depicted scenes of daily life in Haiti and celebrated the country’s vibrant culture. She was a member of the National Association of Women Artists, the Southern Vermont Artists, and the Deerfield Valley Artists. Markham died in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 1967.
Person TypeIndividual
Terms
  • Port-au-Prince
  • Chicago
  • artists
  • female