# Harry Shokler artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/harry-shokler/
Profile generated: 2026-05-30T06:04:50Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: American
- Movements: American Realism
- Common media: oil painting, screen printing (silkscreen)

## About Harry Shokler

Harry Shokler (1896–1978) was an American painter and printmaker whose career spanned much of the twentieth century. Working in a precise realist mode, he produced vibrant oil paintings and silkscreen prints depicting landscapes, harbor and marine views, city scenes, and occasional portraits. Shokler was among the early American practitioners of fine-art silkscreen printmaking during the 1930s, a period when the medium was still finding its place in gallery contexts. His instructional book on the technique helped disseminate the method to a generation of artists. Unlike many contemporaries who pursued commercial-gallery careers, Shokler exhibited chiefly from his own studio and through non-profit organizations. His work is documented in major library authority files including the Getty Union List of Artist Names, the Library of Congress Name Authority File, and VIAF, confirming his recognized standing in American art history.

## Common works and media

Shokler's documented output includes oil-on-canvas or oil-on-board landscapes, harbor and waterfront scenes, city views, and portrait paintings. His silkscreen prints cover similar subject matter and are often noted for their bold color and clean compositional structure. Titles referenced in authority records include works such as Boats in Port and Babbitt Auction. Collectors may also encounter drawings or preparatory studies. Works are typically signed; silkscreen editions may vary in size and numbering practices common to mid-century American printmaking.

## Market and appraisal context

Collectors encountering Harry Shokler's work at auction will most often find original oil paintings and silkscreen prints. His paintings of coastal and harbor subjects appear with some regularity in American art sales. Silkscreen prints, especially those from his 1930s–1940s period, represent an accessible entry point but should be distinguished from later reproductions. Provenance documentation can be thin because Shokler showed primarily outside the commercial-gallery system. Condition, edition information for prints, subject matter, and date of execution are key factors in any appraisal. Specialist consultation is advisable for attribution questions, as no public catalogue raisonné is currently available.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from library authority files and published biographical sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Harry Shokler, identity data is grounded in the Getty ULAN, VIAF, Library of Congress, and Wikidata authority records. Market observations are general and should not be treated as formal appraisals.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21929739
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500336291
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/44008629/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2004046543
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Shokler