Edwin Willard Deming Auction Prices and Value Guide

Edwin Willard Deming auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 208 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Edwin Willard Deming auction prices: quick answer

Edwin Willard Deming auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.

Artist
Edwin Willard Deming
Source records
208
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Edwin Willard Deming

Edwin Willard Deming (1860–1942) was an American painter, sculptor, illustrator, and muralist best known for his vivid depictions of Indigenous North American life and wild animals. Born on August 26, 1860, Deming trained in Paris under Gustave Boulanger and Jules Joseph Lefebvre in the mid-1880s before returning to the United States, where he built a decades-long career centered on Native American genre scenes. He sometimes signed his illustrations jointly with the artist DeCost Smith under the name "Man-Afraid-of-His-Name" and was also known as Eight Bears. One of his murals was adapted for a United States postage stamp, reflecting the broad public reach of his work. Deming's output spans oil paintings, bronzes, murals, book and magazine illustrations, and drawings. With over 200 lots recorded at auction, his work appears regularly in the American and Western art market.

American Western and Native American genre paintingoil paintingsculptureillustrationmural paintingIndigenous North American peoples and daily lifewild animals

Common works and media

Deming's most commonly encountered works include oil-on-canvas genre paintings of Native American camps, ceremonies, and daily life; bronze sculptures of Indigenous figures and animals; book and magazine illustrations, many published in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century periodicals; mural commissions, at least one of which was reproduced on U.S. postage; and charcoal or ink drawings, particularly figure studies and animal sketches. Smaller paintings and illustrations appear at auction more frequently than large canvases or monumental bronzes.

Market and appraisal context

Deming's work enters the market primarily through American Art and Western Art auction categories. Key valuation factors include the medium (oils on canvas versus works on paper or illustrations), the specificity of the Indigenous subject matter, provenance quality, condition, and whether the work carries one of his documented signature forms. Collectors should note that some illustrations were co-signed with DeCost Smith as "Man-Afraid-of-His-Name," which can complicate attribution. Realized prices vary significantly by size, medium, and subject; comparable public auction records and sale dates provide the most reliable appraisal benchmarks.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • American Art
  • Western and Native American Art

Value drivers

  1. Subject matter and tribal specificity — scenes of named Indigenous ceremonies or identifiable groups may carry more collector interest
  2. Medium — oils on canvas generally command stronger results than works on paper or book illustrations
  3. Provenance and exhibition history — documented exhibition records or inclusion in major referenced catalogues (Bénézit, Saur, Falk) can support attribution confidence
  4. Condition and attribution — unsigned or ambiguously signed works should be compared against his documented signature variants including 'E. W. Deming' and 'Man-Afraid-of-His-Name'

Appraisal caveats

  • The source pack does not include specific realized auction prices; Appraisily auction records should be consulted for comparable lot data
  • Deming's collaborative signing with DeCost Smith may complicate attribution for some illustrations

Evidence

Sources for artist context

This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.

Source-grounded artist Markdown

Data basis

This page is built from Appraisily's public auction market index. Private transactions, incomplete sale feeds, and attribution changes may not be fully represented.

LLM-readable Markdown summary for Edwin Willard Deming

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Edwin Willard Deming worth?

Comparable public auction sales are the best starting point, but final value depends on the specific artwork, condition, size, medium, provenance, and attribution confidence.

Can Appraisily value my Edwin Willard Deming artwork?

Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.