Eugenie Wireman Illustrations, ca. 1908
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GUEST:
They were found in the side of the road in early 1960s by my father, who was an insurance adjuster. And at the time Oklahoma City had had a flood. And he thought that they would be something my mother would enjoy. She was an artist. And he took them home to her, and she cherished them until she passed away in 2005.
APPRAISER:
These are by an artist named Eugenie Wireman, who is not one of the most well-known members of the... as they call it, the golden age of American illustration. But she was definitely a part of that tradition. I've been able to find very little about her except that there are many references to her being a Philadelphia artist. In the Philadelphia area around the turn of the century, around 1900, a very well-known illustrator named Howard Pyle taught a number of other people the art of illustration. Some of those people became extremely well known, like N.C. Wyeth and Jessie Willcox Smith. My understanding is that Eugenie studied with him as well. And her work certainly holds up to good comparison with some of those other people in terms of the quality. These two pictures that you brought were both painted by Eugenie to be used as magazine covers in 1907 and 1908. They're exquisite examples of the illustrator's art. I think particularly this one is just tremendously accomplished and very, very decorative. I wonder if you have any idea about their value.
GUEST:
I don't have any idea of their value. I did send them for restoration after my mother passed away.
APPRAISER:
Do you happen to remember how much you spent on the restoration?
GUEST:
I think it was around $5,000.
APPRAISER:
So in fact, these might have been picked up by the side of the road, but they aren't free, in a sense, because you have a fair investment in them.
GUEST:
True.
APPRAISER:
Well, in terms of their value in today's market, I would say that this one, called "Christmas Morning," would probably sell within a range of $3,000 to $5,000 at auction.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
I might be a little cautious and even make that $3,000 to $4,000 simply because we know it has some condition issues that you've been very candid about. But if you were to insure it, I would be thinking of a figure around $6,000.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
The other one, while lovely, I don't think has quite the graphic impact that this does. And I think an auction estimate of between $1,500 and $2,500 would be appropriate on that, with an insurance value of $3,000.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Thank you so much.
GUEST:
Yeah, thank you.
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