# Robert Louis Stevenson artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/robert-louis-stevenson/
Profile generated: 2026-05-25T05:55:31.812Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1850-11-13
- Death date: 1894-12-03
- Nationality: Scottish, British
- Movements: Victorian literature
- Common media: manuscripts and autograph letters, printed books and first editions, illustrated editions and prints

## About Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet, and travel writer whose works rank among the most widely read in the English language. Born in Edinburgh and trained in law, Stevenson turned to writing full time, producing landmarks of adventure and psychological fiction including Treasure Island (1883), Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886), Kidnapped (1886), and A Child's Garden of Verses (1885). Persistent ill health led him to travel through France, North America, and the South Pacific, settling finally in Samoa, where he died at forty-four. His exploration of moral ambiguity, vivid prose style, and tales of adventure have kept his works continuously in print and adapted across media for over a century. Collectors encounter Stevenson in auction contexts chiefly through first editions, signed copies, original manuscripts, correspondence, and illustrated editions of his novels.

## Common works and media

First UK and American editions of Treasure Island, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped, A Child's Garden of Verses, The Master of Ballantrae, and Weir of Hermiston; signed and inscribed copies across his published output; original manuscripts, literary drafts, and corrected proofs; autograph letters to family, publishers, and literary contemporaries; illustrated editions with plates by artists such as Walter Crane, Edmund Dulac, N.C. Wyeth, and others; travel writing including In the South Seas, Travels with a Donkey, and An Inland Voyage; ephemera including publishers' announcements and photographic portraits.

## Market and appraisal context

Collectible Stevenson material at auction is dominated by literary rarities rather than visual art. First editions in original publisher's cloth, especially Treasure Island and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with correct issue points, tend to attract the strongest bids. Signed or inscribed presentation copies and original manuscripts with literary content carry significant premiums over routine correspondence. Condition of the binding, presence of original dust jackets where applicable, and documented provenance all influence value. Illustrated editions featuring work by notable artists also appear regularly. Collectors should verify signatures and manuscript attributions with a qualified specialist, as Stevenson's autograph has been widely reproduced.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine identity research from museum, library, and authority sources with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots. For Robert Louis Stevenson, identity data is grounded in Wikidata, Getty ULAN, VIAF, the Library of Congress Name Authority File, and the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History. Auction and market data, when available, draws on lot descriptions, condition reports, and provenance notes from major auction houses.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1512
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Louis_Stevenson
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500026199
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/95207986/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n78088964
- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/75193