Portrait Attributed to Sheldon Peck, ca. 1835
GUEST:
I've had the picture for about ten years. We call her Granny Grump, because she's kind of sour. It belonged to my godfather. And before that, his mother and his grandmother in a small town in Kentucky called Louisa, at their uh farmhouse called the Bird's Nest. About 25 years ago, a gentleman who worked for a museum in Atlanta saw it, and at that time, because it had hung over the fireplace for so many years, it was so smoke-covered that all you could really see was the face. Well, he made this concoction and he took cotton balls and he started in little tiny circles, little tiny areas. And he cleaned the whole area. We weren't even aware of the fact that she had this either uh bow or hat on. And at first, we could only tell that she had a little bit of this white sort of bib on. And it just opened up the whole picture.
APPRAISER:
What you said about Granny Grump is exactly what drew me to the picture in the first place. I think this is the artist Sheldon Peck. One of the characteristics of Sheldon Peck is this pinched or scowly expression, and this penetrating gaze in the sitter's eyes. And I found it fascinating that you said that she was from Kentucky, because Sheldon Peck was an itinerant painter who began his career in Vermont. And in Vermont, he painted on panel, and when he moved to Illinois, he painted on canvas, and this is oil on canvas.
GUEST:
Canvas?
APPRAISER:
One thing that I find a bit different about this is, her costume is a little out of character, but maybe some sort of special regional characteristic or a celebration collar. What you do have, I think it was probably painted in the 1830s, are these big muttonchop sleeves with this great detail. The plain background is also characteristic of his work. What you see in her hair is not a hat, but a tortoise comb, which is very fashionable.
GUEST:
A tortoise comb, okay.
APPRAISER:
Very fashionable for a lady of that time. So, Granny Grump was also very stylish, as we can tell by her manner of dress. I also think the frame is probably original to the stretcher. Given that she's a single portrait with a plain background, the price at auction would probably bring around $30,000.
GUEST:
Wow! I'm impressed. It's gonna go right back where it was and it's gonna stay there.
APPRAISER:
Granny Grump is worth a lot of money.
GUEST:
Thank you, Granny. (both laugh)
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.