Joseph Whiting Stock Folk Art Portrait, ca. 1845
Watch
GUEST:
Well, this is my grandmother's older brother and sister. I know that Godwin was the portrait painter. Not too famous, but he did do...I think he did Seward when Seward was governor of New York.
APPRAISER:
And this was the Godwin who was a New York painter?
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
These people all lived in New York.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
Upstate, around Ithaca area.
APPRAISER:
All righty. And you've had some conservation work done to this painting, haven't you?
GUEST:
Yes, yes.
APPRAISER:
And you had it cleaned and relined and made presentable. What if I was to tell you that your family story about who painted this painting was not right? Would you believe me?
GUEST:
Well, I have no idea.
APPRAISER:
This painting has all of the characteristics of a Massachusetts painter named Joseph Whiting Stock. Joseph Whiting Stock was from Springfield, Massachusetts. He was born in 1818 and died around 1854 in Springfield. Along the way, he painted in Connecticut and Rhode Island and in western Massachusetts. But the reason we know it's Stock, when you look at the rug down here, that's very characteristic of the kind of detail that Stock put in his paintings. The little hat on the floor. And the little grapes that the children are holding. He very typically would have children like this holding items in their hands. Now, Stock has an interesting history himself. At the age of 17, he became paralyzed from the waist down. And so he had a special wheelchair made for him so he could travel around and paint. And I would date this painting probably mid-1840s, maybe late 1840s. Because it's been cleaned and relined, that's affected its value.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
Purists and connoisseurs of these types of early folk art portraits would rather see them with their original dark, grimy, untouched finish, rather than completely cleaned and redone.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
Now, what do you think this painting might be worth?
GUEST:
I have no idea.
APPRAISER:
None whatsoever? Well, in consultation with my colleagues, we all agreed that a good auction estimate for this painting would be $20,000 to $30,000.
GUEST:
You're kidding.
APPRAISER:
No, I'm not kidding.
GUEST:
(sighing) That's interesting.
APPRAISER:
(laughing) Well, I hope it's more than interesting.
GUEST:
I don't intend to sell it.
APPRAISER:
Of course not.
GUEST:
It's really interesting, but I'm shocked that it's a different painter.
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.
