Description:Mrs. Rye was painted in her inaugeration gown, standing and facing forward. The dress has a black chiffon skirt with beaded bodice attached to skirt at hips. The bodice is embellished with vertical strips of sequins. The bodice is grey. She is wearing a black brooch in the center of the bodice and black oval earrings. She has blue eyes and her grey hair is upswept. The portrait is a 3/4 length of the figure.
History:The subject was born in Camden, Tennessee and was married to Tom C. Rye, Jr., on June 17, 1887. She was first lady of Tennessee during Governor Rye's term of office from 1914 to 1918. They lived in the old governor's mansion located where the War Memorial Building now stands. She died in 1953 and is buried beside her husband in Maplewood Cemetery in Paris, Tennessee.
Notes:The portrait is owned by the subject's granddaughter.
