# Charles Pears artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/charles-pears/
Profile generated: 2026-05-29T23:11:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1873-09-09
- Death date: 1958-01-28
- Nationality: British
- Movements: British marine painting
- Common media: oil painting, watercolour, pen and ink, graphic art / printmaking

## About Charles Pears

Charles Pears (1873–1958) was a British painter, illustrator, graphic artist, and official war artist known especially for his marine and naval subjects. Born in Pontefract, Yorkshire, he established a prolific career spanning oil painting, watercolour, pen-and-ink drawing, and poster design. Pears is recognised for his dramatic depictions of warships, naval engagements, and coastal scenes produced during both World Wars, with many of these works now held in major public collections including the Tate. He also built a parallel reputation as a book illustrator and travel writer, authoring and illustrating works such as From the Thames to the Netherlands (1914). His art was entered into the painting competitions at the 1928 Amsterdam and 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Pears died in Truro, Cornwall, in 1958.

## Common works and media

Pears produced oil paintings of naval battles, convoys, and warships; watercolour coastal and harbour views; pen-and-ink sketches of naval operations and theatrical subjects; travel and shipping posters; and full book illustrations. His marine subjects range from intimate coastal scenes such as Beachy Head, East Sussex, Moonlight to large-scale naval engagements and convoy paintings from both World Wars. He also illustrated and authored travel books and created graphic poster art for shipping lines and travel destinations.

## Market and appraisal context

Charles Pears appears regularly at auction, with a substantial body of work spanning oils, watercolours, ink drawings, posters, and book illustrations. His large-scale naval battle scenes and wartime commissions tend to attract the strongest collector interest, while his travel posters and book illustrations represent a more accessible segment. Provenance linking a work to a documented wartime commission or an institutional collection generally adds measurable value. Collectors should verify signatures against both the full 'Charles Pears' and the abbreviated 'Chas Pears' forms the artist used throughout his career. Condition, medium, subject scale, and documented exhibition history are the primary factors influencing individual lot results.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine structured artist-identity research from authority files and museum sources with auction records, sale dates, realised prices, and comparable lot data when those records are available. This page draws on the Getty Union List of Artist Names, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, the Tate collection record, VIAF, and Wikidata, supplemented by Appraisily's auction database for market context.

## Sources

- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/317431
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/charles-pears-2200
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5081553
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/93830450/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500010482
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Pears