APPRAISER: Well, these are lovely paintings by Alice Kellogg Tyler. I'm really fascinated by her connection with the appropriately famous Chicago Hull House. What can you tell us about it?
GUEST: Hull House itself was established by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr in 1889. It was a settlement house for the thousands of immigrants that were coming over to this country around the turn of the century. It served as a social refuge, and they also sought to simultaneously preserve the culture of all these immigrant groups.
APPRAISER: During this time of harsh labor, factory workers working many hours a day, Addams really believed that aesthetic properties-- listening to music, learning about art, learning about literature-- wasn't a privilege that was just for the wealthy, but it was something that everyone deserved. And these young women and men who came over were really exposed to some wonderful teachers, of which Tyler was one. Now, what's your connection with these pieces?
GUEST: They've been in my family ever since I can remember. If you go back three or four generations, I have five relatives that were involved in various aspects of Hull House. There are two buildings left from Hull House. At one point in time, Hull House encompassed an entire city block.
APPRAISER: Tyler joined the faculty early on, in 1890, and she was a lecturer, she was an artist there, and these are two lovely examples of her work. She studied at the Chicago Institute, and also at the Académie Julian in Paris. It's unfortunate she died when she was 37 years old, so she wasn't able to expand on this beautiful style that combines American Impressionism, and sort of the Dutch Realism that she was also seeing and the French Barbizon style. From the style of the paintings, I think we're looking at 1880 to 1900.
GUEST: Yes, I think this is before she went to Hull House, she would have painted these.
APPRAISER: While this painting has a great deal more activity going on, for retail purposes, I would be valuing that at $4,500.
GUEST: Good, good.
APPRAISER: This, however, is an amazing little gem.
GUEST: One of my favorites.
APPRAISER: It's a wonderful painting. This painting, in a retail situation, I would value at $7,500.
GUEST: Wow, very nice.
