James Ross Bryson was born in 1856 in Jamestown, Quebec. James and his sister
traveled to Europe to study art. They later moved to Chicago, where J. Ross
remained throughout his professional career. Bryson's early works were mainly oil
on canvas, produced in black and white. His later works were done in pastels. Much
of Bryson's artwork appeared on magazine covers, calendars, postcards, and
advertising. He did work for the S. S. Porter Co. of Chicago, the A. F. Kern Co. of
Chicago, the H. A. Aronson Company, and he was a well known artist for the Thomas D.
Murphy Calendar Company of Red Oak, Iowa. Bryson's works were very risque for the
time. It is rumored that early on, Bryson ran errands for a house of ill repute,
which gave him access to many of the beautiful young women depicted in his artwork.
He was paid $200 per commission for his works. James Ross Bryson passed away in
1918.
This large pastel by James Ross Bryson measures 39 x 31 inches framed. It is signed
"Bryson 1902". The image was created to be used as a calendar, and was copyrighted
in 1905. The girl in this pastel seems to be lost in a daydream. Bryson was a
prolific,extremely gifted artist, and a master of pastels. He was known for his
strong use of color, as is evident in the background of this painting. Very few of
Bryson's works are known to have survived, as many of them are pastel on paper,
making them much more fragile, and much less likely to survive over the years. You
can scroll over the image to see a closeup of the painting.
