Berry Pickers Etching Value Guide

The Berry Pickers is a significant late 19th-century American genre scene created by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe and masterfully etched by James S. King. This hand-colored aquatint is highly collectible as it represents the commercial success of one of the Art Students League's founding female members.

What Is Berry Pickers Etching Worth?

The typical price range for Berry Pickers Etching is $225 - $250 based on recent sales. However, values can vary depending on the item's condition, rarity, and other factors such as:

• The vibrancy and preservation of the hand-applied watercolor pigments significantly impact the $225-$250 price range.
• Condition of the original wood and glass frame, as well as the presence of any acidic matting that may have caused 'mat burn' on the paper.
• The clarity of the etching lines, as earlier strikes from the plate maintain sharper details than later, worn impressions.
• Provenance and historical documentation linking the piece to Brownscombe's prolific period of American illustration.

How to Identify Berry Pickers Etching?

• Verify the presence of the hand-colored aquatint texture, which should show subtle tonal variations in the watercolor washes.
• Look for the collaborative signatures or credits of artist Jennie Augusta Brownscombe and etcher James S. King within the plate or margin.
• Check for authentic late 19th-century paper stock, which may show slight foxing or age-appropriate toning consistent with the 1880-1900 era.
• Examine the fine detail in the rural figures' clothing and the fruit-gathering baskets, characteristic of King's precise etching style.

History of Berry Pickers Etching

Originally painted by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, a prolific American illustrator known for her nostalgic genre scenes, this work was famously translated into print form by etcher James S. King. Brownscombe was a founding member of the Art Students League of New York and became one of the most successful female artists of the late 19th century through the wide distribution of these etchings.