# Doris Clare Zinkeisen artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/doris-clare-zinkeisen/
Profile generated: 2026-05-18T22:48:35.413Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: Scottish, British
- Common media: oil painting, watercolor, works on paper

## About Doris Clare Zinkeisen

Doris Clare Zinkeisen (1898–1991) was a Scottish painter, theatrical designer, commercial artist, and writer whose career bridged fine art, performance design, and applied arts. Born in Scotland, she became widely recognized for her stage and costume designs for theatrical productions, while also maintaining an active painting practice centered on portraits and figure subjects. During the Second World War, Zinkeisen served as a war artist, producing work that documented wartime Britain and adding a significant historical dimension to her oeuvre. Her versatility extended to commercial illustration, fashion design, and writing on art and design topics. With over 160 works recorded in the RKD images database, Zinkeisen's output reflects a productive and multifaceted career. She is documented in Bénézit's Dictionnaire critique, the Witt Checklist of painters, and major library authority files including the Getty Union List of Artist Names and the Library of Congress.

## Common works and media

Zinkeisen commonly worked in oil on canvas and board, producing portraits, figure studies, and genre scenes. She also created theatrical stage and costume designs, including set renderings and costume drawings. Watercolors and works on paper appear throughout her recorded oeuvre, as do commercial illustrations. Her wartime output as a war artist includes paintings and drawings documenting civilian and military subjects. Collectors may encounter her work across fine-art paintings, theatrical design ephemera, and commercial art materials.

## Market and appraisal context

Doris Zinkeisen's work appears at auction primarily as oil paintings, watercolors, and works on paper, with portraits and figure subjects among the most commonly encountered categories. Her theatrical and costume designs also surface in the market, appealing to collectors of performing-arts ephemera. As a documented war artist, works from her wartime output carry additional historical significance that can influence collector interest. Provenance, attribution, condition, and medium remain the primary factors affecting appraisal value. Works with documented provenance linking to notable theatrical productions or wartime commissions may attract premium interest. Collectors should note that Zinkeisen was also a commercial artist, so the range of material attributed to her can vary widely in medium, purpose, and quality. Comparable auction records should be consulted for individual appraisal.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from authority files and institutional sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Doris Clare Zinkeisen, identity data is grounded in the Getty Union List of Artist Names, VIAF, the Library of Congress authority file, Wikidata, and the RKD artists database.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q936439
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Zinkeisen
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500005608
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/70953144/
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/311620203/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no91017541
- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/86455