Folk Art Portrait of a Child, ca. 1838
Watch
GUEST:
Well, this is a portrait. It's my great-great- grandmother. It was in my grandparents' house for years and passed down through the family, my dad, and now it's… hanging in my home.
APPRAISER:
And where did your great-great-grandmother live?
GUEST:
She was born in Essex, Connecticut, and that's all I know other than the year, I believe it was 1836.
APPRAISER:
Essex, Connecticut, is located on the Connecticut shoreline. It's about halfway between New Haven and New London. This is a primitive portrait. It's an oil on canvas that was done by an itinerant artist. We have not been able to identify the hand yet.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
So we need to do a little research. This child is two to three years old, so we're looking at a portrait that was done about 1838. And she's just glorious. It's what you want in a portrait, and it's what you want in a child's portrait. We see that she's wearing this wonderful coral necklace. And she's just decked out. She has two coral bracelets, and she's dangling yet another coral necklace. Coral, gold, all expensive commodities back in the 1830s. So they are displaying and showing that they are a wealthy family. We love the blue dress-- it's one of the great colors when it comes to a child's portrait. Red is exciting, blue is also exciting. This wonderful vase of flowers. I love the blend of going from light to a darker shade. There is some damage that has been repaired very professionally, and I think very well done.
GUEST:
Well, I'm glad it was done.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, this painting has not been over-cleaned. And you can see a slight line there.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
But the key here is nothing in the face. The face is untouched, all original, it's wonderful. When it comes to not identifying the artist who did it, you get to a point where you look at it and you say, "It doesn't matter."
GUEST:
Wow, okay.
APPRAISER:
Because it's so terrific, and that's what people are buying now. They're buying the portrait, and the image of the girl is just extraordinary. So what we're going to do today is put a conservative retail value on it.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
In the neighborhood of $20,000 to $25,000.
GUEST:
Oh my goodness.
APPRAISER:
And I really feel that I'm being conservative here, and that we will be able to actually identify the artist.
GUEST:
Oh, my gosh. Okay. Oh, wow.
APPRAISER:
So we're thrilled that you brought it today.
GUEST:
Well, thank you for that wonderful news. I am, like, thrilled about this. And I will continue to enjoy this. It's just such a nice piece.
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.
