Born and raised in Connecticut, Ryder attended Art Institute of Chicago and Smith's Academy as a young man. In 1901, he moved with his wife to Paris where he studied with Jean-Paul Laurens and the Académie Julian. In France for several years, Ryder absorbed post-impressionist tendencies and grew to admire the work of painter Max Bohm and Japanese artist Hokusai. He returned to the United States in 1907, settling in New York where he exhibited at William Macbeth's gallery. He soon bought a home in Wilton, New Hampshire, and split his time between the two locales. He was a prolific and successful painter and is in the collections of many major museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Baltimore Museum of Art.
