# James David Smillie artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/james-david-smillie/
Profile generated: 2026-05-31T04:57:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1833-01-16
- Death date: 1909-09-14
- Nationality: American
- Common media: watercolor, etching, oil painting, printmaking

## About James David Smillie

James David Smillie (1833–1909) was an American painter, illustrator, engraver, and printmaker based in New York City. Active from the late 1840s through the first decade of the twentieth century, Smillie built a career centered on landscape subjects and became a significant figure in the American etching revival. He was a cofounder of both the American Watercolor Society and the New York Etching Club, two organizations instrumental in elevating watercolor and printmaking as respected fine-art practices in the United States. His brother, George Henry Smillie, was also a recognized painter. James David Smillie's work is documented in major artist authority databases including the Getty Union List of Artist Names, VIAF, the Library of Congress, and the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History. He died in New York City on September 14, 1909.

## Common works and media

Collectors encountering James David Smillie's work will most often find landscape etchings and prints, reflecting his central role in the American etching movement and the New York Etching Club. Watercolor landscapes are also associated with his practice, given his cofounding of the American Watercolor Society. Oil paintings on landscape themes may appear less frequently. Works are typically signed and dated within his active period of approximately 1848 to 1909. Print collectors should look for edition details, plate sizes, and paper condition, as these factors are standard for nineteenth-century American etchings.

## Market and appraisal context

James David Smillie's work appears periodically at auction, with landscape etchings, watercolors, and paintings representing the categories collectors are most likely to encounter. Appraisal value depends on the medium, with original etchings and watercolors generally evaluated differently from oil paintings. Provenance clarity is important because works by his brother George Henry Smillie—a landscape painter working in the same period—can be confused with his own. Collectors should also consider condition, edition information for prints, date of execution, and subject matter when assessing value. Specific auction records and comparable sales data from major houses should be consulted for current market pricing.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine structured artist-identity research from museum, library-authority, and biographical sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For James David Smillie, this page draws on authority records from the Getty ULAN, VIAF, the RKD, the Library of Congress, and Wikidata, supplemented by biographical context from Wikipedia. Market observations are general and should be verified against specific auction results.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/97631
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3706954
- VIAF (OCLC): https://viaf.org/viaf/62351142/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500019130
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_David_Smillie
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81067820