Elin and Maria

Kyra Markham was born Elain Hyman in Chicago, Illinois. She studied at the Art Institute of Chicago until she was discovered as an actress and left to pursue a career in the theater and motion picture industries. In 1927 she revived her interest in art, resuming her studies at the Art Students League in New York City. Her paintings and lithographs are primarily realist in style and run the gamut from poetic landscapes to Social-Realist commentaries. Markham was awarded the Mary S. Collins Prize at the Philadelphia Print Club annual exhibition in 1935. She was a member of the National Association of Women Artists, the Southern Vermont Artists and the Deerfield Valley Artists.