# Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/bror-julius-olsson-nordfeldt/
Profile generated: 2026-05-19T02:47:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1878-04-13
- Death date: 1955-04-21
- Nationality: Swedish, American
- Movements: American modernism; associated with the Santa Fe, New Mexico art community
- Common media: Oil painting, Printmaking (etching, woodcut, lithography)

## About Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt

Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt (1878–1955) was a Swedish-born American painter and printmaker whose career spanned more than five decades. Born in the Skåne region of Sweden and active from around 1898, he immigrated to the United States and became known for two distinct bodies of work: atmospheric seascapes and evocative depictions of New Mexico's indigenous cultures. Nordfeldt settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he was part of the region's growing art community during the early twentieth century. Working across oil painting, etching, woodcut, and lithography, he developed a modernist sensibility grounded in observed landscape and cultural subjects. His work is documented in major reference publications including Bénézit, Thieme/Becker, and Vollmer, and his identity is established through Getty's Union List of Artist Names, VIAF, and the Library of Congress authority file.

## Common works and media

Collectors most frequently encounter Nordfeldt's etchings and woodcuts at auction, often depicting coastal or maritime subjects and New Mexico indigenous-culture scenes. His oil paintings—particularly seascapes—are less common but represent the higher-value segment of his market. Lithographs and color woodcuts showing Southwest subjects appear with some regularity. Works on paper, including drawings and preparatory studies, also circulate in the secondary market. Prints may exist in small editions, and impression quality, paper condition, and plate-mark clarity are standard appraisal considerations.

## Market and appraisal context

Nordfeldt's work appears regularly at auction, with over 300 tracked lots spanning paintings and prints. His etchings, woodcuts, and lithographs are encountered more frequently than oil paintings, which can affect comparative valuation. Key factors collectors and appraisers should consider include the medium (painting vs. print), edition details for prints, subject matter (seascapes and New Mexico scenes carry particular recognition), condition, provenance history, and whether the work has been catalogued in standard reference sources. Attribution is well supported by his listing in Bénézit and other authoritative dictionaries, though unsigned prints may require additional authentication. Provenance tracing to his Santa Fe or East Coast periods can strengthen market confidence.

## 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 Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt, identity data is sourced from the Getty ULAN, VIAF, RKD, Library of Congress, and Wikidata authority files, with biographical corroboration from standard art-reference dictionaries.

## Sources

- RKD (Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/96086
- VIAF (Virtual International Authority File): https://viaf.org/viaf/28399702/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500006793
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4975372
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bror_Julius_Olsson_Nordfeldt
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81099065