William Sidney Cooper Auction Prices and Value Guide
William Sidney Cooper auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 213 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
William Sidney Cooper auction prices: quick answer
William Sidney Cooper auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- William Sidney Cooper
- Source records
- 213
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About William Sidney Cooper
William Sidney Cooper (1854–1927) was a British painter celebrated for his watercolour landscapes of the Kent countryside, particularly the pastures and farm animals around Herne Bay. Active from the early 1870s through the 1920s, Cooper spent much of his career based in London while drawing artistic inspiration from rural southeastern England. His work captures the pastoral character of late Victorian and Edwardian Britain with a focus on cattle, sheep, and rolling farmland rendered in soft, naturalistic tones. Cooper is documented in major reference works including Bénézit's Dictionnaire critique, Johnson and Greutzner's Dictionary of British Artists, and the Witt Library Checklist. His paintings appear regularly at auction and are held in both private and institutional collections.
Victorian landscape paintingwatercolouroil paintinglandscapefarm animalscountrysidepastoral scenes
Common works and media
Watercolour landscape paintings of the Kent countryside, particularly scenes around Herne Bay, are Cooper's most commonly encountered works at auction. Typical subjects include cattle and sheep in pastoral settings, rural farmsteads, and seasonal countryside views. Occasional oil paintings on canvas also appear, though watercolour is his primary documented medium. Works are generally modestly scaled and often signed and dated within his 1870–1923 active period.
Market and appraisal context
Cooper's works come to auction most often as watercolour landscapes featuring pastoral subjects—grazing cattle, sheep, and Kent countryside views. Oil paintings by him are less frequently encountered. Appraisal should consider medium, subject, size, date, condition (especially foxing or fading in watercolours), provenance, and gallery or exhibition labels. Comparable auction results from major houses provide useful benchmarks. The absence of a published catalogue raisonné means attribution should be supported by stylistic analysis and reference to documented works in Bénézit or the Witt Library archives.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Appraisal caveats
- No catalogue raisonné is referenced in available sources, making comprehensive authentication difficult
- The artist is recorded in Bénézit, Johnson/Greutzner, Busse, and the Witt Checklist, which can aid attribution research
- Market data is drawn from Appraisily/Invaluable auction records (213 recorded lots); specific realized prices should be verified against individual sale records
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Wikidata library authority
- Wikipedia wikipedia
- Getty Vocabulary Program library authority
- VIAF library authority
- RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History library authority
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.
Artist value FAQ
How much is William Sidney Cooper 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 William Sidney Cooper artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.