GUEST: I went to a small boutique gallery about ten years ago, here in the city of St. Louis. And I was reviewing some paintings up there and this one really caught my eye. And I had been following Kathryn Cherry for a number of years, but was never really in a position to buy a Kathryn Cherry, so... The dealer made me an offer on it, and I wound up purchasing it.
APPRAISER: I'm so happy that you brought a Kathryn Cherry, because she is one of my favorite St. Louis artists, and being from St. Louis, I've handled a lot of her work. It's a beautiful example. She was one of the most important St. Louis artists at the early part of the 20th century. In fact, in 1904, she was the only woman to receive a gold medal at the St. Louis World's Fair. She started off painting floral subject matter on ceramics. Then she went into formal training where she studied under Richard Miller, who is also a St. Louis notable artist, and then Hugh Breckenridge. She spent a lot of time, all of her professional life, in St. Louis, exhibiting frequently at the St. Louis Artists' Guild and the St. Louis Art Museum. Her work has really developed a following. Kathryn Cherry was born in 1860 and died in 1931. This painting was most likely executed in the 1920s, and it's an oil on canvas board. She did a lot of floral subject matter, but then, in the summer, she traveled to Gloucester, and so this is one of her Gloucester Harbor scenes. It's not signed, but it's clearly a work by Kathryn Cherry. Every bit of it says Kathryn Cherry. In fact, you have documentation on the back of the painting that provides authentication for the work. That's nice that you have that bit of information to add to the painting and its provenance. It's an impressionistic painting and it's just beautifully executed and in wonderful condition. She's really noted for having this overall blue and purple palette to most of her works. What did you pay for the painting?
GUEST: I believe it was $600 at the time.
APPRAISER: It's something that I could see easily selling at auction for $2,000 to $3,000. Wow, that's excellent.
