# Howard Russell Butler artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/howard-russell-butler/
Profile generated: 2026-05-30T03:29:10.680Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1856-03-03
- Death date: 1934-05-22
- Nationality: American
- Movements: American landscape painting, late 19th–early 20th century
- Common media: oil painting, pastel, drawing, photography

## About Howard Russell Butler

Howard Russell Butler (1856–1934) was an American painter and photographer based in New York City. Trained as a painter with a focus on landscape subjects, Butler is also recognized for his detailed paintings of solar eclipses produced for the U.S. Naval Observatory. He founded the American Fine Arts Society and played a notable civic role: he persuaded Andrew Carnegie to fund Carnegie Lake at Princeton University and supervised construction of the Carnegie Mansion. Butler also designed an astronomy hall, reflecting his dual interest in art and science. His recorded works span oil paintings, pastels, and drawings, with subjects ranging from American landscapes to celestial phenomena such as The Approach of the Moon's Shadow, The Chariot of Helios, and The Eagle Prominence. He is listed in major reference works including Bénézit, Mantle Fielding's dictionary, and the Witt Checklist of painters.

## Common works and media

Butler's documented output includes oil paintings, pastels, and drawings. Landscape paintings form the core of his body of work, while his astronomically themed paintings of solar eclipses—produced for the U.S. Naval Observatory—represent a distinctive and well-documented subset. Titled works recorded in authority files include Approach of the Moon's Shadow, The Chariot of Helios, and The Eagle Prominence. An exhibition of his oils, pastels, and drawings was presented by E. R. Squibb and Sons, Inc., confirming the range of media collectors may encounter.

## Market and appraisal context

Howard Russell Butler's work appears in the American and 19th-century painting categories at auction. Valuation depends on medium (oil, pastel, or drawing), subject matter, condition, provenance, and documented exhibition history. His solar-eclipse paintings hold particular distinction due to their scientific commission context. Standard references such as Bénézit and Mantle Fielding's dictionary confirm his established catalog presence. Comparable public auction records should be consulted for current market positioning, as detailed price history was not available in this research pass.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines identity research from Getty ULAN, VIAF, RKD, and Wikidata authority files with biographical context from Wikipedia and RKD. Auction-house records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots are incorporated when those records are available in the Appraisily database.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12053936
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Russell_Butler
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500028496
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/46636862/
- RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/14484