Self Portrait #8
Myers was associated with the group of early 20th-century urban realists inspired by the progressive teachings of Robert Henri, if not a formal member of the so-called Ashcan group. Like them, drawn to urban subject matter, Myers was among the first New York realists to paint the Eastern European and Italian immigrant neighborhoods of the Lower East Side, making the subject sympathetically his own. He also painted and drew countless self-portraits, creating a candid and probing record of his visage and character over time. This one, described as no. 8, reveals the artist’s precise drawing abilities—in direct contrast to the dark and ill-defined figures in his oil paintings. It is one of the few self-portraits Myers executed in pastel, and the first to enter The Met’s collection.
Artwork Details
- Title: Self Portrait #8
- Artist: Jerome Myers (American, Petersburg, Virginia 1867–1940 New York)
- Date: 1921
- Culture: American
- Medium: Pastel and white chalk on off-white machine-made laid paper
- Dimensions: 12 × 10 in. (30.5 × 25.4 cm)
Mat: 22 × 16 in. (55.9 × 40.6 cm) - Credit Line: Gift of Barry Downes, grandson of the artist, and Mrs. Barry Downes, 2023
- Object Number: 2023.116.2
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.