Eanger Irving Couse Painting, ca. 1930
GUEST:
The painting was bought by my mother-in-law in about 1930, and when she died, it came to us. And she adored Indians. So then finally, I think when she got married, her husband and she bought this.
APPRAISER:
Where did they buy it?
GUEST:
I am not sure. Couse was an oil painter in the '30s, right?
APPRAISER:
Well, he died in 1936.
GUEST:
Ah.
APPRAISER:
He was a very interesting artist. He was one of the founders of the Taos school, and he was the first president of the Taos Society of Artists. His friends Blumenschein and Sharp, who he met in Paris, where they all studied in the late 1880s, had been to Taos, and they encouraged Couse to come out to Taos and work in the summers. So by 1901, Taos was a thriving art community and Couse was there with his wife, Sharp was there with his wife, and Blumenschein was also there...
GUEST:
Wonderful.
APPRAISER:
...as a summer art community. They all lived and worked most of the year in New York, but what they were all most known for was their Native American subject matter and their interest in preserving the vanishing West. Couse in particular grew up in the Midwest and lived near a Chippewa tribe, so he from a very early age was interested in Native American culture. This work we know was done after he became a National Academician because he signs it in the lower left "E.I. Couse," Eanger Irving Couse, and he inscribes it "N.A.", which means National Academician.
GUEST:
Ah.
APPRAISER:
The National Academy was an honorary organization of artists, and they elected their members. I think that it probably dates from the late 1920s to the early 1930s because of the way the work is handled. It's very competent, but there's some generalized drawing that's a little bit more of a later, more modern painting style. Couse moved permanently to Santa Fe and Taos in the 1920s, so I do believe that this painting was done in Santa Fe or Taos.
GUEST:
That could be. Yeah.
APPRAISER:
The medium of this painting is oil on board. I would say a retail replacement value would be about $75,000.
GUEST:
Oh, good. Yeah, great! Terrific. It's a little more than I thought, and that's wonderful.
APPRAISER:
Good.
GUEST:
He's worthy.
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.