# Frederic James artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/frederic-james/
Profile generated: 2026-08-24T12:31:57.584Z
Quality: medium confidence, adequate sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: American
- Movements: Regionalism
- Common media: Watercolor

## About Frederic James

Frederic James (1915–1985) was an American painter described in the collected biographical record as a specialist in watercolor and as associated with Regionalism. Authority files from Wikidata and VIAF align on his identity, occupation, nationality, and life years, while the National Gallery of Art maintains a dedicated artist record. The available source pack is much stronger on identity than on a detailed career narrative: it does not establish exact birth or death dates, training, principal locations, exhibitions, or named bodies of work. Collectors are therefore most likely to encounter James through attributed paintings and works on paper in secondary-market listings, where medium, signatures, inscriptions, dimensions, condition, and provenance help connect an object to the correct artist. Because Frederic James is not a uniquely identifying name and public biography is limited, auction records should be matched carefully against the 1915–1985 American watercolor painter rather than accepted from name alone.

## Common works and media

The collected biography specifically supports watercolor as Frederic James's principal medium, while the auction page groups matched lots under fine art and paintings and works on paper and prints. Collectors may therefore encounter watercolor paintings or other works catalogued on paper. The source pack does not substantiate sculpture, ceramics, posters, formal print editions, named subjects, or named series as characteristic output. Each object's medium, support, signature, inscriptions, dimensions, and attribution should be checked rather than inferred from the artist name or a broad auction category.

## Market and appraisal context

Market evidence in the collected pack is limited to Appraisily's matched public auction data, so appraisal should begin with genuinely comparable lots rather than a single overall median. Compare watercolors and other works on paper with objects of similar dimensions, date, subject, execution, condition, and attribution status. Examine signatures and inscriptions, restoration, provenance, exhibition or catalogue references, and edition information where relevant. Sale date, auction venue, currency, and the treatment of buyer fees can also affect comparison. Broad category labels should not be treated as proof that James worked in every listed medium. Private sales, incomplete feeds, name collisions, and later attribution changes may be absent from the public record.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist-identity research with matched public auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. Public records may be incomplete and should be assessed alongside object-specific evidence.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5497065
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/74741281/
- National Gallery of Art: https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.33599.html
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_James
- Appraisily: https://appraisily.com/artist/frederic-james/