Jerome Myers’ early life was one of hardship. After his mother, an invalid, was hospitalized in 1877, the five children were sent to foster homes and orphanages, factors likely leading to Myers’ life-long empathy with the common man. In 1887, Myers enrolled at the Cooper Union in New York, where he was making his living as a sign and scene painter. A year later he enrolled at the Art Students League. Myers disagreed with the League’s rigid academic approach so he often left his studies to paint and draw the city. This fascination with urban life made him one of the first American Social Realists.
In 1895 Myers traveled to Paris but remained only a short time before returning to New York. He opened his studio in 1902 and met art dealer William Macbeth. Myers exhibited frequently, including at the National Academy of Design and had a solo exhibition in 1908 at Macbeth Gallery, just before the exhibition of The Eight. Given his early use of urban life as subject, and his friendship with Robert Henri, there is much speculation as to why Myers was not included with The Eight. Myers was, however, one of the founding organizers of the American Painters and Sculptors, the group that established the Armory Show of 1913. Myers continued to aggressively contribute to the advancement of American art until his death in 1940.