1869 William Sonntag Sr. Painting

Appraised on: June 26, 2004

Appraised in: St. Paul, Minnesota

Appraised by: David McCarron

Category: Paintings & Drawings

Episode Info: St. Paul, Hour 3 (#903)

Originally Aired: January 17, 2005

IMAGE: 1 of 1  

Appraisal Video: (1:38)

GUEST: My mother acquired this in the 1950s. We lived in Omaha at the time, and she got it through a dealer, I think, who'd acquired it from a family who had some financial trouble. And she was always on the lookout for art and collectible things. She was an avid collector and always looking for something very nice.

APPRAISER: Do you remember what she paid in the '50s?

GUEST: Probably around $500, I think.

APPRAISER: Now, do you know the artist?

GUEST: I know something about him. He was a New York artist, I believe, Hudson River School, and I haven't been able to find out a lot about him. I did check on the Internet, but I wasn't able to find out a lot about him.

APPRAISER: Well, it's William Louis Sonntag, Sr. It's right here, signed in the lower right. It's dated 1869. He was born in 1822 and died in 1900. He was a Hudson River School painter. He was born in the Pittsburgh area and then moved to Cincinnati in 1842 to start painting. He was primarily a self-taught painter but did study in Florence in the mid-1850s for a year or so. Now, he was a member of the National Academy, and this is basically a very nice representation of the Hudson River School in the late 19th century. He sells relatively well. Do you have any idea what it might be worth now?

GUEST: I would say a few thousand dollars, I would expect.

APPRAISER: Okay, all right. I would think that a good auction estimate would be $15,000 to $25,000.

GUEST: Great, well, we're not going to sell it, but it's nice to know that.