Margaret Ayer
Born
New York City
DiedApril 24, 1981
Castro Valley, California
Education
Occupations
  • Writer
  • Illustrator
Organizations
SpouseAlfred Babbington Smith
Parents
  • Ira Ayer
  • Louise Foster Ayer

Margaret Ayer (d. 1981) was an American author and self-illustrator of six books for children. She also illustrated 52 books,[1] including Anna and the King of Siam, written by other authors. In addition, she contributed short stories and articles to children's magazines.[2]

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 and the Philippines, where she traveled with her parents and developed an interest in art.[3] As an adult, she visited Thailand (formerly known as Siam) in 1918–19 and 1962–63.[1]

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 Society of Illustrators, and the Women's National Book Association.[1]

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 archives in Eugene.[1] 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.[3]

Personal life

Ayer married Alfred Babbington Smith, a banker. She died in Castro Valley, California, in 1981.[1]

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)[2]

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)[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Margaret Ayer papers, 1918–1970". University of Oregon Special Collections and University Archives. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Margaret Ayer". Contemporary Authors Online. Gale. May 22, 2002. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Margaret Ayer Collection". University of Minnesota Libraries. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
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