My name is Katie Ruffing, and for several months, I have been processing the papers of Emerson C. Burkhart. During my time working with this collection, I have become intimately familiar with its cast of characters, particularly Emerson and his wife, Mary Ann Martin Burkhart. While the collection focuses on Emerson, his art, his writings, and personal and professional life, Mary Ann’s story stuck out to me. I uncovered her journals, books of poetry, correspondence, drawings and a complete, yet unpublished, novel, all of which made clear to me that she was a passionate creative in her own right, whose story deserves to be highlighted.
Personal Life & Marriage to Emerson Burkhart
Born on October 27, 1917 to Frances Martin and Helen English Martin. Mary Ann was raised in the German Village neighborhood of Columbus, where she developed a deep interest and passion for the arts. She met Emerson Burkhart at age 15 in 1932. They married in 1937.
Their relationship could be best described as tumultuous. In the earlier years, Emerson wrote love letters to Mary Ann proclaiming his love for her, while simultaneously affirming his commitment to surpassing the notoriety of artists such as George Bellows. Mary Ann was dedicated to promoting her husband's work by hosting locally renowned open houses to promote his art at their Woodland Avenue home.
However, this peaceful period soon devolved. Mary Ann described the poor state of their relationship in one of her journals:
"Behind every great man is a woman who is willing to love and endure him.”
While Mary Ann was proud of Emerson’s local success as an artist and was dedicated to promoting him in the Columbus artists community, that relationship was unfortunately not reciprocal. Her art went unnoticed by Burkhart, who even used her handwritten book of poetry as his personal sketchbook.
Mary Ann Martin Burkhart in the 1930s.
Mary Ann Martin Burkhart in the 1940s
Forever Seeking: Mary Ann's Creative Work
As a young adult, Mary Ann worked as a model for New York painters, most notably Eugene Speicher, whose portrait of her, titled Marianna, is housed at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Mary Ann was very interested in art and worked on several of her own drawings and sketches, but her true passion was writing and poetry. Mary Ann’s poetic works span over a decade and touch on her philosophical side and her worldview, which was largely informed by the events of World War II.
Her most comprehensive work is her unpublished novel, Forever Seeking. This work of literary fiction describes the budding relationship between a young model, Naomi Winters, and a rising artist, John Paul Christian. Written sometime in the early 1940s, this novel was presumably informed by her own life and relationship with Emerson Burkhart during their early years together.
Unfortunately, there is no indication that Mary Ann ever sought out any type of publication for Forever Seeking or her poetry. Her writing slowed around 1950, Mary Ann died in October 1955.
All images from MSS 8683 AV, Emerson C. Burkhart Papers.
Thanks to Katie's work in the winter and spring of 2025, this collection is now open to the public for research!
