Marguerite Kirmse Auction Prices and Value Guide

Marguerite Kirmse auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 1,041 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Marguerite Kirmse auction prices: quick answer

Marguerite Kirmse auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.

Artist
Marguerite Kirmse
Source records
1,041
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Marguerite Kirmse

Marguerite Louisa Kirmse (1885–1954) was a British-born artist who emigrated to the United States and became one of the most recognized illustrators and etchers of dogs in the early twentieth century. Born in Bournemouth, England, she relocated to America and eventually settled near Bridgewater, Connecticut, after marrying George W. Cole in 1924. Kirmse devoted her career to depicting dogs with remarkable anatomical precision and personality, working primarily in drawing and etching. Her output extended to illustrated children's books and pictorial works centered on canine subjects, earning her a lasting reputation among collectors of animal art and sporting prints. She is represented in major library authority files including the Library of Congress and VIAF.

EtchingDrawingDogs

Common works and media

Kirmse is best known for etchings and drawings of dogs, including breed-specific portraits, hunting dogs, and companion animals. She produced both standalone prints and illustrations for published books, notably dog-story anthologies. Original drawings, etched plates, and signed prints are the formats most likely to be encountered at auction or in appraisal contexts.

Market and appraisal context

Marguerite Kirmse has a deep and active secondary market, with 787 recorded auction lots and 511 priced results spanning over three decades (1994–2026). Her work sells primarily through regional and national auction houses including Bonhams, Skinner, Copley Fine Art Auctions, Guyette & Deeter, Eldred's, and Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, with frequent appearances at Taylor & Harris and Winter Associates. The price distribution is moderately dispersed: the interquartile range runs from $200 to $575 with a median of $325, indicating that most individual works trade in the low-to-mid hundreds. Standout results reach $1,000–$6,000 for signed Derrydale Press aquatints, multi-etching groups, and well-attributed hand-colored prints. Liquidity is healthy—21 lots appeared in the trailing twelve months against 38 in the prior period, suggesting a modest softening in volume but continued steady turnover. Canine subjects (Scottish Terriers, hounds, terriers) dominate the market and command stronger prices than her less common animal subjects such as lions, swans, and birds.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Etching
  • Drawing
  • Pastel
  • Watercolor
  • Aquatint

Value drivers

  1. Medium: etchings and drawings are the primary work types encountered at auction
  2. Subject: canine subjects dominate her body of work and drive collector interest
  3. Edition: etchings may exist in numbered editions; edition size and plate quality affect value
  4. Illustrated books: Kirmse illustrated published books including dog stories, which may carry value as collectible book illustrations
  5. Medium: hand-colored aquatints and signed etchings command significantly more than unsigned prints or group lots; pastels and watercolors trade in a middle band
  6. Subject: dog breeds (especially Scottish Terriers, hounds, setters) are the strongest category; non-canine subjects (lions, swans, birds, sea urchins) appear less frequently and at lower price points

Appraisal caveats

  • No major museum collection highlights or catalogue raisonné were found in the source pack, limiting the ability to confirm a complete body of work.
  • The Invaluable total count of 1,041 lots indicates a substantial auction history, but individual lot details were not available for this research pass.
  • Of 787 total lots, only 511 have recorded prices; unsold lots and pass-through listings are excluded from the price distribution, which may inflate the median.
  • Several recent lots at Taylor & Harris have null price-realised values, indicating they may have been passed or bought-in; these are excluded from price statistics.

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 Marguerite Kirmse

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Marguerite Kirmse 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 Marguerite Kirmse artwork?

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