View source for Herbert Ryman

{{short description|American artist and Walt Disney Imagineer}}
{{Infobox artist
| name             = Herbert Ryman
| image            =
| alt              =
| caption          =
| birth_name       = Herbert Dickens Ryman Jr.
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|1910|06|28}}
| birth_place      = [[Vernon, Illinois]], U.S.
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|1989|02|10|1910|06|28}}
| death_place      = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| resting_place    = [[Cremated]], ashes scattered at sea off the coast of [[Carmel, CA]]
| resting_place_coordinates =
| education        =
| alma_mater       = [[Millikin University]]<br>[[Art Institute of Chicago]]
| known_for        = [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] artist and [[Walt Disney Imagineering|imagineer]]
| notable_works    = The First Disneyland schematic<br>[[Sleeping Beauty Castle]]<ref name= animating>{{cite web|url=http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/09/animating-the-disney-parks-herb-ryman/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130629111137/http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/09/animating-the-disney-parks-herb-ryman/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 29, 2013|title= Animating the Disney Parks: Herb Ryman}}</ref><br>[[Cinderella Castle]]
| spouse           =
| awards           = [[Disney Legends]] - 1990
| memorials        = [http://www.rymanarts.org Ryman Arts]
}}

'''Herbert Dickens Ryman Jr.''' (June 28, 1910 – February 10, 1989) was an American artist and [[Walt Disney Imagineering|Disney Imagineer]]. Ryman worked in watercolor, oils, and pen & ink sketches. In 1953 Ryman drew the first illustrations of Walt Disney's vision of a theme park that eventually became [[Disneyland]].

==Early years and education==
Ryman was born on June 28, 1910, in [[Vernon, Illinois|Vernon]], [[Illinois]], son of Dr. Herbert D. Ryman (1878–1918) and Cora Belle Ryman ({{née}} Norris, 1876–1963). His family moved to [[Decatur, Illinois|Decatur, IL]] when he was age 9.<ref>{{cite news|title=Disney connection to Mt. Pulaski|author=Miller, Jean Ann|newspaper=The Courier|date=September 13, 2014|url=http://www.lincolncourier.com/article/20140913/NEWS/140919800|access-date=September 28, 2014}}</ref>  While attending [[Millikin University]],<ref name=Millikin>{{cite web|url=https://www.millikin.edu/alumni/stayconnected/mytimes/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=94 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140920023046/https://www.millikin.edu/alumni/stayconnected/mytimes/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=94 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 20, 2014 |author=Millikin University ''My Times'' |title=Points of Pride Herbert Ryman '31 |date=July 30, 2014 |access-date=2014-09-19 }}</ref> he became deathly ill with scarlet fever. His mother was opposed to his artistic ambitions and wanted him to pursue a medical degree. But as his sickness worsened, she told him that he could attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He graduated cum laude in 1932 from the [[Art Institute of Chicago]].

==Career==
In 1932 Ryman moved to California, where he found a job as a storyboard illustrator in the art department of [[Cedric Gibbons]] at Metro-Golden-Mayer Studios.<ref>{{cite news|title= H.D. Ryman Doing Scenes In Hollywood|newspaper=Mt. Pulaski Times, Mt. Pulaski, IL|date=December 15, 1932|url= http://mon.stparchive.com/Archive/MON/MON12151932P01.php|access-date=September 30, 2014}}</ref> For a period, during Hollywood's "golden age", he was the sole artist and illustrator for MGM  Studios. He helped design many major pictures for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and 20th Century Fox including the screen styling of ''David Copperfield'',  ''A Tale of Two Cities'',  ''Mutiny on the Bounty'', and ''Anna Karenina''. His work on ''The Good Earth'' project  inspired him to leave his job at MGM and tour China where he made many sketches. His last work at MGM was the Emerald City segment of ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]''.

In 1938 he returned to California, where he met [[Walt Disney]] as a result of an exhibit of Ryman's works at the [[Chouinard Art Institute]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://progresscityusa.com/2010/06/29/the-ryman-centennial-herb-and-el-grupo/|title= The Ryman Centennial: Herb and El Grupo}}</ref> Walt was so impressed with the paintings that he invited Herb to join the [[Walt Disney Studios (Burbank)]]. Herb went on to serve as an art director for such feature-length animated films as ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'' and ''[[Dumbo]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/12/windows-on-main-street-u-s-a-at-disneyland-park-herb-ryman/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203141321/http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/12/windows-on-main-street-u-s-a-at-disneyland-park-herb-ryman/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 3, 2013|title= Windows on Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland Park: Herb Ryman}}</ref>

In the late summer of 1941, Ryman toured with Walt Disney, other Disney Studio artists, and management personnel on a three-month "Good Will Tour of South America", through an invitation from [[Nelson Rockefeller]], [[Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs|Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs]]. The tour was part of an Allied effort to maintain solid relations with southern countries in the Western Hemisphere. They traveled by aircraft and regional railway systems connecting the countries of Brazil, Bolivia, Guatemala,  Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, and Mexico. Production of the two Disney films ''Saludos Amigos'' and ''The Three Caballeros'', resulted from this trip.<ref name="Disney Railroad Story">"Walt Disney's Railroad Story: The Small-Scale Fascination That Let to a Full-Scale Kingdom". Michael Broggie, 1998, pg. 205-214.</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=When Walt Disney visited Latin America|author=Susan King|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=September 9, 2009|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-sep-09-et-classic-hollywood9-story.html|access-date=September 28, 2014}}</ref>

Ryman had become acquainted with author [[Margaret Landon]] during his travels in Asia.  After the end of World War II, when he heard that 20th Century Fox was developing a film based on Landon's 1944 novel ''Anna and the King of Siam'', he informed Disney that he was leaving Walt Disney Productions to work on the 20th Century Fox film.  At Fox, Ryman also worked on several other pictures, including ''Forever Amber'', ''Down to the Sea in Ships'', ''David and Bathsheba'', ''The Black Rose'', and ''The Robe''.

During the summers of 1949 and 1951, Ryman took a leave of absence from 20th Century Fox and travelled with the [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus]]. Living among the performers and documenting the circus in his paintings, he became friends with [[Emmett Kelly]].

In 1955 [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] published ''The Tontine'', a two volume novel written by [[Thomas B. Costain]] and illustrated by Ryman. Set in nineteenth-century England, the story centers around the fictional "Waterloo" tontine, established to benefit veterans of the Napoleonic wars. Among other plot twists, shareholders hire an actor to impersonate a dead nominee, and conspire to murder another member.
 
After leaving the Disney organization, Ryman had remained friends with Walt Disney.  On September 26, 1953, he received an urgent request to meet with Disney.  Disney asked Ryman to render the artwork for a Disney envisioned theme park. Disney and Ryman worked non-stop throughout the weekend creating a large pencil sketch and several other drawings illustrating the project.<ref>[http://kpolsson.com/disland/ Chronology of Disneyland Theme Park]</ref> 
[[Roy O. Disney|Roy Disney]] took the drawings and a six-page portfolio to New York to show investors the plan in order to secure financing used to develop [[Disneyland]].  Once financing was assured, Disney asked Ryman to rejoin the Disney Company.
<ref name=animating/>
Disneyland became the centerpiece of his Disney career. Among his contributions were designs for Main Street, U.S.A., [[Sleeping Beauty Castle]] and [[New Orleans Square]]. Herb also contributed concepts for the [[Jungle Cruise]], [[Pirates of the Caribbean]], and for attractions featured at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair, including [[Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln]].

Ryman worked on many special projects at Disney over a five decade span. He was the chief designer of the [[Cinderella Castle]] at the [[Walt Disney World Resort]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/magic-kingdom/attractions/cinderella-castle/|title= Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World}}</ref>

Ryman officially retired from The Walt Disney Company in 1971. He returned in 1976 as a consultant on Walt Disney World, [[Epcot Center]] including renderings and concept paintings for [[The American Adventure (Epcot)|The American Adventure]], the [[China (Epcot)|China Pavilion]], and the [[Meet the World]]  attraction at Tomorrow Land at [[Tokyo Disneyland]].

His last project at Disney was contributing concept drawings for Main Street in the planned [[Disneyland Paris|Euro Disneyland]] when he became ill.

He is well known for his watercolors of the rugged California coasts around Carmel and Point Lobos, as well as for his paintings of the Ringling Brothers Circus, and portraits of Emmett Kelly and other well known people.  Many of his paintings hang in Hollywood's most famed homes.

==Awards and legacy==
Ryman was a member of the American Institute of Fine Arts, the Society of Illustrators, and the [[California Art Club]]  where he was president in 1963. In 1990, Herb Ryman was inducted [posthumously] into the [[Disney Legends]] program.<ref name="Disney Legends: Disney D23">{{cite web|url=http://d23.com/herb-ryman|title= Disney Legends: Disney D23}}</ref> His sister, [[Garnett Lucille Ryman|Lucille Carroll]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ryman.org/therymanlegacy/lucille.stm|title= Lucille Ryman Carroll / Ryman Arts | access-date= April 11, 2013}}</ref> co-founded the [[Ryman Arts|Ryman-Carroll Foundation]] in his memory. In 2000 the Ryman-Carroll Foundation published "A Brush with Disney" a 252-page story of Ryman's life with color illustrations by Ryman ({{ISBN|978-0964605961}}).

==Personal life==
Ryman's ancestors came to the U.S. from Heidelberg, Germany. His father was commissioned a Captain in the Medical Corps 107th Field Artillery 28th Division and sent to the war front in France at his request. On Saturday afternoon, August 17, 1918, he was mortally wounded while ministering to a wounded comrade on the battlefield near St. Gilles, France.  Refusing aid, he assisted in rendering and directing the treatment of three other soldiers. Though weakened by loss of blood, he showed utter disregard for his personal danger, refusing to accept treatment until the other wounded had been cared for. He later died at a nearby aid station.  For his act of heroism he was posthumously awarded the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]].  He is buried in [[Arlington National Cemetery]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://ameddregiment.amedd.army.mil/dsc/wwi/wwi_nr.html|archive-url= https://archive.today/20140920233045/http://ameddregiment.amedd.army.mil/dsc/wwi/wwi_nr.html|url-status= dead|archive-date= September 20, 2014|title= US Army Medical Department Distinguished Service Cross - World War I (N-R)}}</ref>

His mother, Cora Belle Norris, was born July 6, 1876, in Pendleton County, Kentucky and was the great-granddaughter of President [[Zachary Taylor]].<ref>{{cite news|title= Five Star Family -- One of Them, Gold |newspaper= Times-News, Mt. Pulaski, IL|date=July 13, 1961|url=http://mon.stparchive.com/Archive/MON/MON07131961P117.php|access-date=September 21, 2014}}</ref>  After the death of her husband, Mrs. Ryman moved Herbert and his two sisters Lucille and Christine to Decatur, where she resumed her teaching career.  She later was elected superintendent of the Macon County Schools, where she served for 16 years. She retired in 1938 and moved to California to live with her son, Herbert. She died in Los Angeles, California, on January 9, 1963, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Ryman lived for many years on Chandler Blvd in [[Van Nuys]], California. He later moved to [[Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles|Sherman Oaks, California]], where he died of cancer on February 10, 1989.,<ref>{{cite news|title=H. Ryman; Illustrated Disneyland Plans|author=Obituary|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=February 14, 1989|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-02-14-mn-1957-story.html|access-date=October 4, 2014}}</ref> 16 days after the death of  his oldest sister Christine Pensinger (1903-1989).

==Filmography==

===Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer===
* [[David Copperfield (1935 film)|David Copperfield]], storyboard
* [[Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)|Mutiny on the Bounty]], storyboard
* [[Anna Karenina (1935 film)|Anna Karenina]], storyboard
* [[A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]], storyboard
* [[The Good Earth (film)|The Good Earth]], storyboard

===Walt Disney  Productions===
* [[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]], Art Director - Pastoral Symphony sequence
* [[Dumbo]], Art Director
* [[Saludos Amigos]], Art supervision
* [[The Three Caballeros]], Layout artist

===Twentieth Century Fox===
* [[Anna and the King of Siam (film)|Anna and the King of Siam]]
* [[Forever Amber (film)|Forever Amber]]
* [[Down to the Sea in Ships (1949 film)|Down to the Sea in Ships]]
* [[David and Bathsheba (film)|David and Bathsheba]]
* [[The Robe (film)|The Robe]]

==Disney theme park attractions==
Herbert Ryman drew many sketches and preparatory drawings for several Disney theme parks including:<ref name="Disney Legends: Disney D23"/>

===The original attractions at Disneyland===
[[File:Sleeping Beauty Castle Disneyland Anaheim 2013.jpg|thumb|right|120px| [[Sleeping Beauty Castle]], designed by Herbie Ryman]]
* [[Sleeping Beauty Castle]]
* [[Main Street, U.S.A.]]
* [[Jungle Cruise]]
* [[Pirates of the Caribbean]]

===The attractions of the 1964 New York World's Fair===
* [[Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress|GE Carousel of Progress]]
* [[Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln]]
* [[It's a Small World]]
* [[PeopleMover|Ford Magic Skyway]]

===The attractions at Disney World===
[[File:Cinderella_Castle_2013_Wade.jpg|thumb|right|120px|[[Cinderella Castle]], designed by Herb Ryman]]
* [[Cinderella Castle]]
* [[Hall of Presidents]]

====for EPCOT====
* [[The American Adventure (Epcot)|The American Adventure]]
* [[China (Epcot)|the China Pavilion of the World Showcase]]

===The attractions at Tokyo Disneyland===
* [[Meet the World]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
* {{Citation|url=http://www.ryman.org/therymanlegacy/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130705002913/http://www.ryman.org/therymanlegacy/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-07-05 |title=Herbert Ryman / Ryman Arts |place=USA |publisher=ryman.org }}
* {{Citation | url = https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753364/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 | title = Herbert Ryman on Internet Movie Database | place = USA | publisher = imdb.com}}
* {{Citation | url = http://www.designingdisney.com/content/herb-ryman | title = Herbert Ryman / Designing Disney | place = USA | publisher = designingdisney.com}}
* {{Citation | url = http://www.californiaartclub.org/herb-ryman/ | title = California Art Club: Herbert Ryman | place = USA | publisher = California Art Club}}
* {{Citation | url = http://www.disunplugged.com/2010/04/14/disney-legend-to-legend-marty-sklar-discusses-herb-ryman/ | title = Disney Legend to Legend: Marty Sklar Discusses Herb Ryman | place = USA | publisher = DISUnplugged.com}}
* {{Citation | url = http://micechat.com/blogs/mouth-of-the-mouse/3319-warp-weft-interview-about-herb-ryman.html | title = Warp And Weft - An Interview About Herb Ryman | place = USA | publisher = micechat.com}}
* {{Citation | url = http://wn.com/herbert_ryman| title = Disney Family Album #7 - Disney Designers | place = USA | publisher = [[World News Network]]}}

{{Disney Legends Awards 1990s}}
{{Walt Disney World}}
{{Disneyland Resort}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryman, Herbert}}
[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:American people of German descent]]
[[Category:Artists from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Chouinard Art Institute alumni]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in California]]
[[Category:Disney imagineers]]
[[Category:People from Decatur, Illinois]]
[[Category:People from Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles]]