# George Elbert Burr artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/george-elbert-burr/
Profile generated: 2026-05-10T11:22:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: American
- Movements: American West landscape art, late 19th–early 20th century American printmaking
- Common media: etching, drypoint, watercolor, painting (oil), photography

## About George Elbert Burr

George Elbert Burr (1859–1939) was an American printmaker, painter, and illustrator celebrated for his etchings and drypoints of the desert and mountain landscapes of the American West. Active from the late nineteenth century through the 1930s, Burr built a reputation for translating the vast, arid terrain of the Western United States into finely detailed intaglio prints. He also worked in watercolor and oil and pursued photography, reflecting a broad engagement with visual media during a transformative period in American art. Burr is listed in the Getty Union List of Artist Names, the Library of Congress Name Authority File, and the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), confirming his recognized place in the American printmaking tradition. His work is documented across 439 recorded lots, making him one of the more prolific American printmakers encountered in the auction market.

## Common works and media

The works most commonly attributed to George Elbert Burr at auction are intaglio prints—primarily etchings and drypoints—depicting desert landscapes, mountain vistas, and frontier scenes of the American West. Watercolor landscapes and occasional oil paintings also appear. Photographs by Burr are documented in institutional records but are less frequently encountered in commercial auction contexts. Collectors may find individual prints, small groups of plates, and illustrated books containing his work.

## Market and appraisal context

George Elbert Burr maintains a well-established and actively traded auction market spanning over three decades (1994–2026), with 252 recorded lots and 222 priced results. Liquidity is stable: 27 lots appeared in both the trailing and prior 12-month windows, indicating consistent collector demand and regular supply. The price distribution is anchored in an accessible mid-range—median $400, interquartile range $250–$650—with a ceiling at $6,100 for exceptional pieces. Recent results confirm that watercolors command a meaningful premium over intaglio prints: a watercolor "Moonlit Forest" realized $2,050 at Bradford's (May 2026), while "Rhine near Salzio" watercolor reached $1,100 and "Near Monte Carlo" watercolor brought $840 in the same sale. Etchings and drypoints, which constitute the bulk of the market, typically trade between $100 and $750 depending on subject, plate size, signature, and condition. The artist is represented across a broad roster of reputable regional and national auction houses including Bonhams, Heritage Auctions, Skinner, Weschler's, Rachel Davis Fine Arts, Eldred's, John Moran Auctioneers, Dirk Soulis Auctions, North American Auction Company, and Bradford's. Western desert and mountain subjects are the most consistently traded, though European scenes (Bordighera, Monte Carlo, Rhine) also appear and perform comparably.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

George Elbert Burr maintains a well-established and actively traded auction market spanning over three decades (1994–2026), with 252 recorded lots and 222 priced results. Liquidity is stable: 27 lots appeared in both the trailing and prior 12-month windows, indicating consistent collector demand and regular supply. The price distribution is anchored in an accessible mid-range—median $400, interquartile range $250–$650—with a ceiling at $6,100 for exceptional pieces. Recent results confirm that watercolors command a meaningful premium over intaglio prints: a watercolor "Moonlit Forest" realized $2,050 at Bradford's (May 2026), while "Rhine near Salzio" watercolor reached $1,100 and "Near Monte Carlo" watercolor brought $840 in the same sale. Etchings and drypoints, which constitute the bulk of the market, typically trade between $100 and $750 depending on subject, plate size, signature, and condition. The artist is represented across a broad roster of reputable regional and national auction houses including Bonhams, Heritage Auctions, Skinner, Weschler's, Rachel Davis Fine Arts, Eldred's, John Moran Auctioneers, Dirk Soulis Auctions, North American Auction Company, and Bradford's. Western desert and mountain subjects are the most consistently traded, though European scenes (Bordighera, Monte Carlo, Rhine) also appear and perform comparably.

### Appraisal notes

An appraisal of a George Elbert Burr work should begin by confirming medium (etching, drypoint, aquatint, watercolor, pastel, oil, or photograph), dimensions, plate or sheet size, signature presence and type (pencil-signed, plate-signed), edition information if available, and condition (foxing, toning, margins, plate tone). The 252-lot auction record provides a robust comparable base: etchings and drypoints of Western desert subjects typically fall in the $250–$650 range, while watercolors can reach $800–$2,000+. Provenance should be documented, especially any connection to the artist's known periods in Colorado, Arizona, or European travel. The Appraisily auction-record database supplies realized prices, sale dates, and auction-house attribution for comparable lots. For a credible appraisal, the appraiser should match the subject work against 3–5 recent comparables of the same medium and approximate size, adjust for condition differences, and note whether the work is from a recognized series or an individually titled plate. Attribution to a documented catalogue raisonné reference, if available, strengthens valuation confidence.

### Valuation factors

- Medium is the strongest value differentiator: watercolors and pastels command 2–5x the typical etching price range
- Subject matter: Western desert and mountain landscapes are most sought after, but European scenes also trade actively
- Signature: pencil-signed impressions carry a premium over unsigned or plate-signed-only works
- Plate and sheet size: larger plates (e.g., 7×9.75 in. and above) tend to realize higher prices
- Condition: foxing, toning, trimmed margins, or fading can materially reduce value, especially for works on paper
- Edition and catalogue references: documented edition numbers or catalogue raisonné citations support stronger attribution and pricing
- Provenance: exhibition history or prior collection provenance can enhance value beyond raw comparable results
- Framing and presentation: unframed works may sell at a discount relative to archivally framed pieces in good condition
- Auction-house tier: results from established houses (Bonhams, Heritage, Skinner) may reflect stronger buyer confidence and higher realizations

### Collector notes

- Burr's print market is deep and accessible—collectors can acquire signed etchings and drypoints of Western subjects in the $200–$600 range from reputable regional auction houses on a regular basis. Watercolors represent a meaningful step up in price but are less frequently available; the May 2026 Bradford's sale demonstrates that strong watercolors can exceed $2,000. Buyers should verify signature (pencil-signed is standard for intaglio prints), assess paper condition carefully (toning and foxing are common in works of this age), and confirm plate dimensions against known catalogues. The stable 27-lot annual turnover suggests that collectors seeking a specific title or subject can be patient without risking long-term scarcity. Sellers benefit from the artist's broad name recognition among Western-art and American-print collectors; consigning to a house experienced with American prints (Rachel Davis Fine Arts, Soulis Auctions, Heritage) typically yields competitive results.

### Market caveats

- The auction-record data reflects 252 lots over a 32-year span; prices from the 1990s may not reflect current market conditions without adjustment.
- Some lots in the recent sample lack realized prices (listed as null), indicating either unsold results or post-sale private transactions not captured in the feed.
- Observed categories include pastel and aquatint based on recent lot titles; these are less frequently traded and may have a narrower comparable base.
- The $6,100 maximum price represents an outlier well above the p75 of $650 and should not be assumed as a typical ceiling without confirming the specific work's attributes.
- Birth year discrepancy (1858 vs. 1859) in reference sources could affect dating of early works; cataloguers should note which convention they follow.
- No museum exhibition records or catalogue raisonné were included in the source pack; institutional validation of specific titles or editions is not available from these sources alone.

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/george-elbert-burr/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-george-elbert-burr-moonlit-forest-watercolor-on-paper-1450-c-d814be6617
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-george-elbert-burr-colorado-arizona-1859-1939-camelback-mountain-phoenix-ariz-circa-1926-etching-on-cream-laid-whatman-7-x-9-75-unframed-7085-c-d8845e187b
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-george-elbert-burr-1859-1939-pencil-signed-aquatint-145-c-f5fd9e8ebe
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-george-elbert-burr-american-1859-1939-drypoint-122-c-5a284c2cff
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-george-elbert-burr-american-1859-1939-oaks-in-winter-no-2-etching-and-drypoint-signed-and-titled-frame-15-1-2-x-11-1-2-in-39-4-x-29-2-cm-534-c-4f44ce4877
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-george-elbert-burr-1859-1939-paradise-valley-54-c-00bea66f12
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-george-elbert-burr-november-landscape-etching-304-c-e2f93a3936
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-george-elbert-burr-etching-102-c-2a34e7da00
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-george-elbert-burr-american-1859-1939-144-c-eb94bd5b7e
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-george-elbert-burr-american-1859-1939-etchings-142-c-d4e4e24a21

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research from library authority files, museum records, and scholarly references with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For George Elbert Burr, identity data is supported by the Getty ULAN, Library of Congress, VIAF, RKD, and Wikidata entries. Market observations are drawn from the volume and character of recorded lots in the Appraisily database and should be supplemented with live auction comparable searches for appraisal purposes.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85328551
- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/14314
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5538934
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Elbert_Burr
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500012897
- VIAF / OCLC: https://viaf.org/viaf/56884084/