# Birket Foster artist context and auction value notes Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/birket-foster/ Profile generated: 2026-04-30T13:37:00.000Z Quality: high confidence, strong sources ## Artist identity - Birth date: 1825-02-04 - Death date: 1899-03-27 - Nationality: British, English - Movements: Victorian-era art - Common media: Watercolour, Engraving, Illustration (book and periodical) ## About Birket Foster Myles Birket Foster (1825–1899) was a British illustrator, watercolourist, and engraver who became one of the most popular Victorian-era artists in England. Born in North Shields, he was active from roughly 1840 until his death in 1899. Foster began his career as an engraver before establishing himself as a leading watercolourist, admired for detailed pastoral landscapes and idyllic rural scenes that captured the Victorian imagination. He exhibited widely and was elected to the Royal Watercolour Society. His work straddled fine art and commercial illustration, and his images were widely reproduced in books and periodicals of the period, contributing to his broad public recognition among collectors today. ## Common works and media Collectors most commonly encounter Foster's original watercolour landscapes and rural genre scenes, which range from small cabinet pieces to larger exhibition works. His reproductive steel and wood engravings—often after his own watercolours—circulated widely in Victorian gift books and illustrated volumes. Book illustrations, including frontispieces and plate sets, appear frequently. Less commonly, drawings in pencil or pen and ink surface at auction. Subject matter is predominantly English countryside, village life, pastoral idylls, and seasonal landscapes. ## Market and appraisal context Birket Foster's secondary market is well established but thin in recent years. The Appraisily/Invaluable index records 42 lots since 2007, of which 21 carried a realised price. Prices span a wide band—from £20 for an "after" watercolour at Bamfords to £3,500 for the pair "Returning from work; and Crossing the brook" at Christie's (December 2014)—reflecting the broad spread between original works and reproductive material. The interquartile range (roughly £90–£2,160 in raw mixed-currency data) confirms that medium and attribution are the dominant value differentiators. Named auction houses include Christie's, Bonhams, Gerrards, Bamfords, Webb's, and numerous UK regional salerooms, indicating steady demand across both premier and mid-tier venues. However, zero lots were recorded in the most recent 12-month window (down from three in the prior 12 months), suggesting reduced current liquidity. Original watercolours of pastoral subjects account for the strongest results, while prints, "after" copies, and book-illustration lots cluster at the low end. ## Auction-house-backed market evidence Birket Foster's secondary market is well established but thin in recent years. The Appraisily/Invaluable index records 42 lots since 2007, of which 21 carried a realised price. Prices span a wide band—from £20 for an "after" watercolour at Bamfords to £3,500 for the pair "Returning from work; and Crossing the brook" at Christie's (December 2014)—reflecting the broad spread between original works and reproductive material. The interquartile range (roughly £90–£2,160 in raw mixed-currency data) confirms that medium and attribution are the dominant value differentiators. Named auction houses include Christie's, Bonhams, Gerrards, Bamfords, Webb's, and numerous UK regional salerooms, indicating steady demand across both premier and mid-tier venues. However, zero lots were recorded in the most recent 12-month window (down from three in the prior 12 months), suggesting reduced current liquidity. Original watercolours of pastoral subjects account for the strongest results, while prints, "after" copies, and book-illustration lots cluster at the low end. ### Appraisal notes An Appraisily appraisal for a Birket Foster work would cross-reference the recorded auction distribution against the specific piece's medium, dimensions, signature, condition, and provenance. Key steps: (1) confirm whether the work is an original watercolour, oil, drawing, etching, or a reproductive print or "after" copy—many lots in the record are explicitly described as "after" Foster, which materially affects value; (2) assess condition for foxing, fading, mounting damage, or later overpainting, common issues for Victorian works on paper; (3) verify provenance and any exhibition labels, particularly Royal Watercolour Society (R.W.S.) exhibition notations, which appeared on at least one recorded lot and can enhance value; (4) compare against the closest comparable lots by medium, size, subject, and venue; (5) note that mixed-currency results (GBP, USD, AUD, NZD, EUR) require currency normalisation before direct comparison. The wide price dispersion means an appraisal must be specific to the work's category rather than relying on a single median figure. ### Valuation factors - Medium: original watercolours command substantially more than reproductive engravings, prints, or book illustrations; the Christie's result (£3,500) involved original works, while "after" copies at regional houses realised as little as £20 - Attribution: many recorded lots are explicitly "after" Birket Foster or bears-monogram pieces rather than signed originals; correct attribution is the single largest value driver - Subject and composition: pastoral landscapes, rural genre scenes with figures, and woodland subjects are the most frequently encountered and sought-after subjects - Size and scale: cabinet-size watercolours (roughly 15–25 cm) dominate the low end; larger exhibition-scale works are rarer and command premiums - Condition: Victorian works on paper are susceptible to foxing, fading, acid migration from mounts, and tide lines; condition significantly affects value at every price level - Provenance and exhibition history: R.W.S. exhibition labels, gallery stickers, or documented provenance from a notable collection can materially enhance value - Market liquidity: zero recorded lots in the most recent 12 months suggests thin near-term liquidity; sellers should expect longer time-to-sale at regional houses ### Collector notes - Collectors should distinguish carefully between original Birket Foster watercolours, signed etchings, and the large volume of "after" copies and reproductive prints that circulate at auction. The price gap is stark: originals at major houses have realised £3,500+, while "after" works and prints at regional salerooms cluster at £20–£140. Signed etchings occupy a middle band (e.g., £140 at Willingham Auctions, 2013). Book-illustration lots and published volumes (such as the 1864 Pictures of English Landscape) trade at the low end (£60 at Cheffins, 2013). For sellers, a verified original watercolour in good condition with documented provenance is best consigned to a major or specialist UK auction house (Christie's, Bonhams, or a respected regional firm) to reach the strongest buyer pool. For buyers, the "after" designation in lot titles is a warning: these are copies, not originals, and should be priced accordingly. Works bearing only a monogram or attributed status carry intermediate risk and should be professionally authenticated before purchase. ### Market caveats - Mixed currencies: the recorded price distribution (min £20 to max £4,750 equivalent) spans GBP, USD, AUD, NZD, and EUR; quartile figures reflect raw values without currency normalisation and should not be compared directly - Thin recent data: zero lots were recorded in the 12 months preceding collection (May 2026), so the price distribution reflects a somewhat stale sample and may not capture current market conditions - Attribution complexity: many lots are described as "after" Birket Foster, bear a monogram, or are attributed rather than signed; the recorded prices for these are not representative of verified original works - Posthumous reproductions: Foster's images were widely reproduced in Victorian gift books and prints; his name appears on derivative and posthumous material that may be offered at auction without clear labelling - Sample size: 21 priced lots over a 17-year span is a modest dataset; median and quartile figures should be treated as indicative rather than definitive ### Market evidence sources - Appraisily auction record index: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/birket-foster/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0 - Invaluable / Lawsons: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-birket-foster-english-artist-by-h-m-cundall-published-by-a-and-c-black-1906-2085-c-6d947a193b - Invaluable / Bamfords Auctioneers and Valuers Ltd: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-birket-foster-after-the-river-at-windsor-bears-monogram-watercolour-16cm-x-21cm-thomas-sidney-yarmouth-i-o-w-signed-dated-1923-watercolour-19cm-x-44cm-etc-3-353-c-c694df0957 - Invaluable / Bamfords Auctioneers and Valuers Ltd: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-birket-foster-after-the-river-at-windsor-bears-monogram-watercolour-16cm-x-21cm-thomas-sidney-yarmouth-i-o-w-signed-dated-1923-watercolour-19cm-x-44cm-etc-3-540-c-4c04a70b02 - Invaluable / Clars Auctions: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-print-after-birket-foster-259a-c-c894d95a6e - Invaluable / Sheppards: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-after-birket-foster-747-c-ff14a1c9b7 - Invaluable / Nicholas Mellors Auctioneers: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-birket-foster-children-leading-a-donkey-with-younger-child-on-its-back-a-541-c-00a4034ae3 - Invaluable / Canterbury Auction Galleries: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-birket-foster-britanny-a-series-of-sketches-208-c-df76cea473 - Invaluable / Cheffins: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-birket-foster-m-pictures-of-english-landscape-with-pictures-in-words-by-tom-taylor-london-1864-small-4to-black-and-whit-116-c-79d0617a3c - Invaluable / Willingham Auctions: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-a-signed-birket-foster-etching-of-geese-going-to-796-c-91ce076930 - Invaluable / Wilkinson's Auctioneers: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-birket-foster-1825-1899-a-watercolour-on-paper-411-c-1b6083bd47 ## Appraisily data basis Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from museum, library authority, and scholarly sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Birket Foster, identity data is sourced from the Tate, Library of Congress, VIAF, RKD, and Wikidata authority files, with auction context drawn from the Appraisily/Invaluable database. ## Sources - Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1738050 - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myles_Birket_Foster - VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/34499263/ - Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85368782 - Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/myles-birket-foster-192 - RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/28751