1913 Thomas Moran Chromolithograph
Watch
GUEST:
I found this painting, or a picture, in an alley, thought it was quite interesting. There was a garage sale going on and I thought, well, if they're throwing anything out, I would pick it up. And I did.
APPRAISER:
When did you get this?
GUEST:
I found it six months ago. I just wiped the glass off today, because I was hiding it from my husband, because he gets upset when I bring home things, and it's more "stuff" or clutter, so I hide it in the garage.
APPRAISER:
Did you ever try to look it up and find...?
GUEST:
I did. The only thing that I found about the artist is that he was American, and in the 1800s, he would draw murals of the Grand Canyon.
APPRAISER:
Well, his name is Thomas Moran, and he's British-born, however, considered to be an American painter. He specialized in landscape, he did a lot of work out West, he lived on Long Island in New York along with his artist wife, Mary Nimmo Moran. And they were both very, very accomplished artists, and they made paintings and they made prints. And when I say prints, I mean etchings and lithographs. What we have here is known as a chromo-lithograph, and it's a color lithographic process where there's a separate stone made for every color. And it's a very meticulous, very time-consuming process, and then the colors are printed one on top of the other. That creates another range of colors, rather than what was only on the stone. This print was commissioned by the Santa Fe Railway to promote Western tourism. And as today, their trains run right to the rim of the Grand Canyon. Even though Thomas Moran was a printmaker, he really had little to do with the making of the print. He provided the painting, and then master printmakers did the execution of the print.
GUEST:
Oh, my.
APPRAISER:
The frame appears to be the original frame. Many of them were made. It's not a particularly rare print, but it's a very good print, and it's at the tail end of that particular lithographic process. Here, you have a couple of condition problems. You've got a little bit of pigment loss right here. You've had an insect inside here. And it's up against the glass, as it shouldn't be. But all in all, in quite good condition, and the colors are very good.
GUEST:
Great.
APPRAISER:
So at auction, I would value the piece at about $1,200 to $1,500.
GUEST:
Wonderful! For an alley find, that's great, yes! I can't wait to tell my husband that I told him so. This is great.
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.
