Margaret Ayer (d. 1981) was an American author and self-illustrator of six books for children. She also illustrated 52 books, including '' Anna and the King of Siam'', written by other authors. In addition, she contributed short stories and articles to children's magazines.

Early life career

Born in New York City to Ira Ayer, a physician, and Louise Foster Ayer, she spent much of her childhood in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, where she traveled with her parents and developed an interest in art. As an adult, she visited

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

(formerly known as Siam) in 1918–19 and 1962–63. Ayer studied at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Arts and received private art instruction in Paris and Rome. She was a member of the Artists Guild of New York, serving for a time as its vice president. She also held membership in the

Asia Society The Asia Society is a non-profit organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco) and around the world (Hong Kong, Man ...

, the Society of Illustrators, and the

Women's National Book Association The Women's National Book Association (WNBA) was established in 1917, as an organization to promote the role of women in the community of the book.The Women's National Book Association Walker, Belle M. The Bookman; a Review of Books and Life (1895� ...

. Some of Ayers' manuscripts, publications, illustrations, and correspondence related to her interest in art and in Thailand are available to the public in the

University of Oregon Libraries Knight Library is the main facility of the University of Oregon's (UO) library system. It is located on the university's campus in Eugene, Oregon, United States. The library design is emblematic of the architecture of the university's older buildin ...

archives in Eugene. In addition, a watercolor and pencil study for the book jacket of ''Surprise at Sampey Place'' can be found in the archives of the University of Minnesota Libraries in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Personal life

Ayer married Alfred Babbington Smith, a banker. She died in

Castro Valley, California Castro Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Alameda County, California, United States. At the 2010 census, it was the fifth most populous unincorporated area in California and the twenty-third most populous in the United States. The popula ...

, in 1981.

Bibliography

Author and illustrator

* ''Magic Window'' (1933) * ''The Elves Service Station'' (1951) * ''The Wish That Went Wild'' (1952) * ''Getting to Know Thailand'' (1959); revised edition (1972) * ''Made in Thailand'' (1964) * ''Animals of Southeast Asia'' (1970)

Illustrator

* ''Under the Japanese Moon'', Phyllis A. Sowers (1937) * ''Nature Was First'', Walter C. Fabell (1939) * ''Pagoda Anchorage: A Story of the Tea Clipper Days in China'', Mary B. Hollister (1939) * ''Far Round the World'', Grace W. McGavran (1939) * ''Lin Foo and Lin Ching: A Boy and Girl of China'', Phyllis A. Sowers (1940) * ''Story Way'', Julia L. Hahn, editor (1940) * ''Luck of a Sailor'', Charles Coppock (1942) * ''Sons of the Dragon'', Phyllis A. Sowers (1942) * ''New Town in Texas'', Siddie J. Johnson (1942) * ''Rainbow Stories'', Dorothy Christian and R. C. Wheeler (1943) * ''Dragons on Guard'', Anna C. Chandler (1944) * ''Anna and the King of Siam, Margaret Landon (1944) * ''Girl without a Country'', Martha L. Poston (1944) * ''Swords and Sails in the Philippines'', Phyllis A. Sowers (1944) * ''Little Boat Boy: A Story of Kashmir'', Jean Bothwell (1945) * ''Around the World Stories'', Dorothy Christian and R. C. Wheeler (1945) * ''Sylvia Sings of Apples'', Martha Gwinn Kiser (1945) * ''River Boy of Kashmir'', Jean Bothwell (1946) * ''Underground Retreat'', Maribelle Cormack and P. L. Bytovetzski (1946) * ''Thirteenth Stone: A Story of Rajputana'', Jean Bothwell (1946) * ''Secret of the Old Sampey Place'', Frances F. Wright (1946) * ''Adventure in Palestine: The Search for Aleizah'', Judith Ish-Kishor (1947) * ''Star of India'', Jean Bothwell (1947) * ''Anna and the King'', Margaret Landon (1947) * ''Fig Tree Village'', Grace W. McGavran (1947) * ''Juan of Manila'', Marie McSwigan (1947) * ''Scarlet Bird'', Ethel T. Anderson (1948) * ''Empty Tower'', Jean Bothwell (1948) * ''Number Eleven Poplar Street'', Frances F. Wright (1948) * ''Let's Go to Nazareth'', Elizabeth L. Reed (1948) * ''Star Shone'', Robbie Trent (1948) * ''Elephant Boy of the Teak Forest'', Phyllis A. Sowers (1949) * ''Little Flute Player'', Jean Bothwell (1949) * ''Fawn and the White Mountain Press'', Genevieve Cross (1949) * ''Favorite Old Fairy Tales'', Muriel Fuller, editor (1949) * ''Rainbow Campus'', Ethel T. Anderson (1950) * ''Onions without Tears'', Jean Bothwell (1950) * ''Peter Holt'', Jean Bothwell (1950) * ''Lost Kingdom'', Chester Bryant (1951) * ''Paddy and Sam'', Jean Bothwell (1952) * ''Stephen Foster: His Life'', Catherine O. Peare (1952) * ''Poplar Street Park'', Frances F. Wright (1952) * ''Golden Letter to Siam'', Jean Bothwell and Phyllis A. Sowers (1953) * ''Borrowed Monkey'', Jean Bothwell (1953) * ''Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: His Life'', Catherine O. Peare (1953) * ''Red Barn Club'', Jean Bothwell (1954) * ''Mark Twain: His Life'', Catherine O. Peare (1954) * ''Gilbert and Sullivan Song Book'', Malcolm Hyatt and W. Fabell (1955) * ''Cal's Birthday Present'', Jean Bothwell (1955) * ''Ranch of a Thousand Horns'', Jean Bothwell and Phyllis A. Sowers (1955) * ''Robert Louis Stevenson: His Life'', Catherine O. Peare (1955) * ''Jules Verne: His Life'', Catherine O. Peare (1956)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayer, Margaret 1981 deaths 20th-century American women writers Writers from New York City 20th-century American illustrators American women illustrators University of the Arts (Philadelphia) alumni