Robert W. Salmon Auction Prices and Value Guide

Robert W. Salmon auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 223 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Robert W. Salmon auction prices: quick answer

Robert W. Salmon auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.

Artist
Robert W. Salmon
Source records
223
Market update
2026-02-16

Robert W. Salmon market snapshot

Robert W. Salmon shows thin auction liquidity with 5 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $850. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 0 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2023-04-25.

Realized price distribution

  • Under $1,000 (100.0% · 1 sales)
  • $1,000 to $10,000 (0.0% · 0 sales)
  • $10,000+ (0.0% · 0 sales)
Median sale (last 12 months)
$0
Sales recorded (last 12 months)
0
Median shift vs prior year
0.0%
Latest recorded sale
2023-04-25

Artist context

About Robert W. Salmon

Robert Salmon (1775–c. 1845) was an English-born maritime painter who spent his early career in British port cities such as Liverpool and Greenock before settling in Boston, Massachusetts around 1828. Over his lifetime he produced nearly one thousand paintings, almost all depicting ships, harbor scenes, and naval engagements. His meticulous treatment of light on water and atmosphere is credited with helping to define the visual language of American Luminism, and scholars often describe him as the Father of that movement. In Boston, Salmon's studio practice and compositional methods directly influenced the younger Fitz Henry Lane, who became one of Luminism's foremost practitioners. Salmon's work is held by institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the DeCordova Museum, and the Rijksmuseum, and his paintings appear regularly at major auction houses.

American LuminismMaritime paintingOil on canvasMaritime scenes and seascapesShips and harbor viewsNaval engagements and coastal scenes

Common works and media

Salmon's body of work consists primarily of oil-on-canvas maritime paintings. Common subjects include merchant vessels in port, naval engagements, harbor panoramas, ship portraits, and coastal seascapes. Titles drawn from recorded works reference the River Mersey, the Clyde, Greenock, and Boston Harbor. He painted both detailed ship portraits and broader atmospheric seascapes, often with precise rigging and architectural detail. Works on paper are less commonly documented. Nearly all of his approximately one thousand paintings are maritime in subject; only one known work departs from that theme.

Market and appraisal context

Robert Salmon's paintings surface most often in maritime art and early American painting sales. Works depicting identified vessels, specific harbors, or documented naval events tend to attract the strongest collector interest. Attribution can be nuanced: the artist is recorded under both Salmon and Salomon in authority files, and his death date is uncertain (sources range from 1842 to approximately 1848), which can complicate the dating of unsigned works. Condition, provenance, and whether a painting belongs to the English or American period are standard appraisal factors. Collectors should verify attribution carefully, as many 19th-century maritime painters worked in overlapping styles.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Maritime art
  • 19th-century American painting

Value drivers

  1. Subject matter: specific ships, identified harbors, or documented naval events may increase collector interest
  2. Provenance and attribution are critical; name variants (Salmon vs. Salomon) and the existence of works by other contemporary maritime artists with similar subjects require careful connoisseurship
  3. Condition and period: works from the American Boston period (1828 onward) may carry different market weight than English-period works
  4. Nearly 1,000 known works suggest a substantial but finite body of work

Appraisal caveats

  • Death date is uncertain; sources cite 1842, 1845, and approximately 1848, which can complicate dating of unsigned late works
  • The display name 'Robert W. Salmon' does not appear in any collected authority file; the artist is universally recorded as Robert Salmon or Robert Salomon

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 Robert W. Salmon

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Robert W. Salmon 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 Robert W. Salmon artwork?

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