Edith Maryon was born in London in 1872. She grew up with five siblings in central London, where she attended a girls’ school. Later, master tailor John Simeon Maryon and his wife Louisa Church sent their daughter to boarding school in Geneva. After her return, Edith studied sculpture at the Royal College of Arts. She became famous for her classically inspired portraits and reliefs executed in a traditionalist style.

From London via Germany to Dornach

In 1913 Edith Maryon moved first to Munich, then Berlin, and one year later to Dornach. Together with Marie von Sivers and Ita Wegman she belonged to the inner circle around Rudolf Steiner. For years she maintained an intensive written correspondence with the founder of Anthroposophy, which has been preserved. Together they designed the large sculpture “The Representative of Humanity” and the eurythmy figures, which Maryon also carved in wood. Her works were no longer classical but inspired by Rudolf Steiner’s ideas.

In the early 1920s, there was a lack of affordable housing in Dornach. That is why Edith Maryon designed three houses for the staff of the Goetheanum on the hill of Dornach. At that time they were called English houses, today they are known as the Eurythmy houses.

In 1923 Edith Maryon fell ill with tuberculosis. At the end of the year, she was appointed the head of the Section for Fine Arts at the Goetheanum but was never able to assume the post. On 2 May 1924, she died at the age of 52 in her beloved Dornach.

The Foundation continues Edith Maryon’s work

In 1990 Christoph Langscheid, John Ermel, and Michael Riggenbach established the foundation in memory of Edith Maryon and their commitment to socially responsible housing with a starting capital of 12,000 Swiss Francs. The non-profit organization works to remove land, property and real estate from speculation, ensuring affordable residential or commercial space and supporting social and cultural projects.