# Edgar Allan Poe artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/edgar-allan-poe/
Profile generated: 2026-05-29T21:35:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1809-01-19
- Death date: 1849-10-07
- Nationality: American
- Movements: Romanticism, Gothic fiction
- Common media: Manuscript, Printed book (first edition), Letter (autograph)

## About Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic whose work shaped two enduring literary traditions: Gothic fiction and the modern detective story. Born in Boston and raised largely in Virginia, Poe is widely recognized as a central figure of American Romanticism. His poetry and short stories—especially tales of mystery, horror, and the supernatural—remain among the most influential in the English language. Poe is credited with inventing the detective fiction genre through works such as "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and with contributing substantially to the early development of science fiction. He was the first prominent American writer to attempt earning a living solely through writing, a pursuit that left him in chronic financial difficulty. His legacy extends worldwide, with a vast scholarly apparatus maintained by the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore.

## Common works and media

Poe-related items appearing at auction include first and early editions of his poetry and prose collections, autograph letters and signed documents, original manuscripts and corrected proofs, daguerreotypes and portrait engravings of the author, illustrated gift editions with plates by prominent 19th-century artists, broadside printings of individual poems such as "The Raven," periodical appearances in magazines where his stories were first published, and associated ephemera including memorial items and commemorative medals.

## Market and appraisal context

Collectors encounter Poe's name at auction primarily through first editions, autograph manuscripts, signed letters, and illustrated editions of his literary works. Key titles such as "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque" (1840) and "The Raven and Other Poems" (1845) in original condition with documented provenance can realize strong prices. Manuscript material in Poe's hand is exceptionally rare, and content tied to major works significantly amplifies value. Illustrated editions featuring plates by artists such as Gustave Doré or Édouard Manet represent a crossover collecting category. Condition, binding integrity, completeness, and expert authentication are critical appraisal factors for all Poe-related material.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research from library authorities and scholarly sources with auction-house records, sale dates, realized prices, comparable lots, and provenance notes when those records are available. For Edgar Allan Poe, identity data is grounded in Getty ULAN, VIAF, the Library of Congress authority file, and the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16867
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500212765
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/60351476/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79029745
- RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/108502
- Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore: https://www.eapoe.org/