Reginald Marsh Auction Prices and Value Guide

Reginald Marsh auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 1,947 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Reginald Marsh auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Reginald Marsh
Source records
1,947
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Reginald Marsh

Reginald Marsh (1898–1954) was an American painter, illustrator, and printmaker celebrated for his vivid depictions of everyday life in New York City. Born in Paris to American parents—his father was the sculptor and painter Fred Dana Marsh—he grew up in the United States and studied at Yale University before training at the Art Students League in New York under John Sloan and Kenneth Hayes Miller. Marsh became a prolific illustrator for publications including The New Yorker and later taught at the Art Students League for many years. His best-known work captures the energy of Coney Island beaches, burlesque theaters, vaudeville stages, and the down-and-out figures of the Bowery during the 1920s and 1930s. Working across oil, egg tempera, watercolor, ink wash, and etching, Marsh developed a distinctive realist style rooted in the urban American scene. His work is held in major museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

American urban realist painting (associated with the Fourteenth Street School circle)Egg temperaOil paintingWatercolorInk and ink wash drawingConey Island beach and amusement scenesNew York City street life and the BoweryVaudeville, burlesque, and popular entertainmentUrban crowds and figures

Common works and media

Collectors most often encounter Marsh's work as etchings and lithographs depicting New York street life, Coney Island beachgoers, and burlesque performers. Oil paintings and egg tempera panels on similar urban themes appear less frequently and are typically more significant at auction. Watercolors, ink wash drawings, and magazine illustrations for The New Yorker and other periodicals also surface regularly. His preferred supports included canvas, masonite panels, and paper, and recurring subjects include crowded beaches, theater audiences, elevated trains, and jobless men on the Bowery.

Market and appraisal context

Reginald Marsh has a deep and liquid secondary market spanning over three decades, with 1,059 catalogued lots (788 with realized prices) dating from September 1992 through April 2026. His work trades regularly at top-tier and mid-tier auction houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, Swann Auction Galleries, and Heritage Auctions, as well as regional specialists such as Rachel Davis Fine Arts, Skinner, DuMouchelles, and Weschler's. Price dispersion is wide: the median realized price is $1,300 USD, with an interquartile range of $500–$3,750 and a ceiling at $430,000. The bulk of auction volume consists of etchings and prints, which typically sell between $200 and $650, while oil paintings, egg tempera works, and significant watercolors command substantially more. Recent 12-month activity (59 priced lots) is slightly below the prior 12-month period (78 lots), suggesting stable but modestly softening liquidity. Signature New York subjects—Coney Island, burlesque and vaudeville scenes, Bowery street life—are the most frequently encountered and actively traded themes.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Printmaking (etching)
  • Oil painting
  • Egg tempera
  • Watercolor
  • Ink and ink wash drawing

Value drivers

  1. Medium: oil paintings and egg tempera works generally command higher prices than prints and works on paper
  2. Subject: characteristic Coney Island, burlesque, and New York street scenes are most sought after
  3. Provenance: works with Art Students League or museum exhibition history add value
  4. Institutional holdings: represented in major museum collections including MoMA
  5. Medium is the primary value driver: oil paintings and egg tempera works routinely reach thousands to tens of thousands, while etchings and prints typically trade in the $200–$650 range.
  6. Subject matters significantly—Coney Island beach scenes, burlesque and vaudeville subjects, and Bowery street life are the most sought-after themes and outperform generic landscapes or nudes.

Appraisal caveats

  • Marsh produced a large volume of prints, illustrations, and drawings; not all works carry the same market weight as his oil and tempera paintings.
  • Attribution should be confirmed through catalogue raisonné or expert review, as Marsh's illustration style was widely imitated by contemporaries.
  • Condition is especially important for works on paper and egg tempera panels.
  • The $430,000 maximum price represents an outlier; the vast majority of lots trade well below $10,000, and median realized price is $1,300.

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 Reginald Marsh

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Reginald Marsh 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 Reginald Marsh artwork?

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