Often categorized as [[social realism]], Markham’s work presents extracted scenes from everyday life in a dramatic manner, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.<ref name=":1" /> Markham’s work explored the incredible and grim aspects of modern society with a strong interest in labor themes, like much of the socially concerned art of the 1930s.<ref name=":2" /> This examination of labor roles was especially vital during Depression-era politics, and Markham often expressed this theme through the environment she knew best: theater.<ref name=":2" /> A repeated theme in Markham’s work, theater is presented in several prints through the unique perspective of the backstage.<ref name=":2" />
Although similar in subject matter to [[Mabel Dwight]]’s ''Houston Street Burlesque'' (1928) and [[Elizabeth Olds|Elizabeth Old]]’sOlds’ ''Burlesque'' (1939), Markham’s ''Burlycue'' (1938) differs by focusing on the dancers identities as workers, rather than as objectified figures.<ref name=":2" /> Markham emphasizes the dancers confidence, workplace solidarity, and relaxed interactions – allowing viewers to see the Burlesque in a new light and shifting the mood from tantalizing to lighthearted amusement.<ref name=":2" /> Although many of her prints depict scenes of entertainment, whether backstage in the dressing room or performing under the spotlight, Markham is also interested in other leisure activities such as attending lively night clubs and social gatherings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://collection.terraamericanart.org/view/people/asitem/items$0040null:4/0|title=Kyra Markham Biography|website=Terra Foundation}}</ref> A mural she painted for the Community Hall in West Halifax, Vermont depicts a barn-raising. Often evoking a dream-like state, Markham’s use of light, combined with detailed realism, results in fantastical compositions of daily life (9). Similarly to [[Paul Cadmus]] and [[George Tooker]], Markham injected fantasy into the [[Social realism|social realist]] genre.<ref name=":0" />
