# Hanson Duvall Puthuff artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/hanson-duvall-puthuff/
Profile generated: 2026-05-16T22:13:44.136Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1875-08-21
- Death date: 1972-05-12
- Nationality: American
- Common media: oil painting, mural

## About Hanson Duvall Puthuff

Hanson Duvall Puthuff (1875–1972) was an American painter and muralist remembered for his atmospheric depictions of Southern California's desert landscapes. Born in Waverly, Missouri, he trained at the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Denver Art School before settling in Los Angeles in 1903. For more than two decades he earned his living as a commercial billboard painter, developing a strong command of scale and color that would later inform his fine-art practice. In 1926 Puthuff left commercial work to paint and exhibit full-time. He became nationally known for his lyrical, light-filled interpretations of the Mojave and Colorado deserts. His long career spanned nearly seven decades, and his work is documented in major reference publications including Bénézit, Mantle Fielding's Dictionary, and Who Was Who in American Art. Puthuff died in Corona del Mar, California, at the age of 96.

## Common works and media

Puthuff is best known for oil-on-canvas desert landscapes featuring broad, luminous skies and the terrain of the Southern California deserts. He also painted broader California landscapes and produced murals. Collectors may encounter plein-air-style canvases in a range of sizes, from intimate easel paintings to larger exhibition-scale works. Signed oil paintings are the primary medium seen at auction.

## Market and appraisal context

Hanson Duvall Puthuff's oil paintings—especially his desert landscapes of Southern California—are the works most frequently encountered at auction. His recognition in standard reference sources such as Bénézit and Who Was Who in American Art supports steady collector interest. Factors that may affect appraisal value include the painting's subject (desert scenes are most sought after), its date relative to his 1926 transition to full-time fine art, provenance history, canvas condition, and exhibition record. Works with documented provenance linking them to Puthuff's post-1926 fine-art period tend to carry more significance. As with any early-twentieth-century American painter, attribution should be verified by a qualified appraiser.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from authority files and biographical sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Hanson Duvall Puthuff, identity data is grounded in Getty ULAN, VIAF, RKD, Wikidata, and Library of Congress authority records.

## Sources

- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/96682
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5651220
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500063774
- VIAF (OCLC): https://viaf.org/viaf/96116826/
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanson_Puthuff
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2010174338