# Robert Swain Gifford artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/robert-swain-gifford/
Profile generated: 2026-05-24T10:45:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1840-12-23
- Death date: 1905-01-15
- Nationality: American
- Movements: Barbizon school influence
- Common media: Oil painting, Etching

## About Robert Swain Gifford

Robert Swain Gifford (1840–1905) was an American landscape painter born on Naushon Island, Massachusetts, and active in New York City. He is recognized for his atmospheric landscape compositions, which reflect the influence of the Barbizon school's emphasis on naturalistic tone and mood. Gifford was a member of the Society of American Artists, a group that championed progressive tendencies in American art during the late nineteenth century. His work spans oil painting and etching, with subjects drawn primarily from the American landscape tradition. Gifford's career coincided with a period when American collectors and institutions were increasingly interested in native landscape painting, and his paintings appeared in prominent exhibitions of the era. He died in New York City in 1905. Collectors today encounter his work through auction appearances and museum collections focused on nineteenth-century American art.

## Common works and media

Gifford's most commonly encountered works are oil-on-canvas landscape paintings, often depicting coastal, rural, or wooded scenes. Etchings and works on paper attributed to him also appear in auction and collection contexts. His subject matter centers on American landscape views, particularly scenes drawn from the New England coast and interior. Collectors may also encounter illustrations or reproductive prints associated with his career.

## Market and appraisal context

Robert Swain Gifford's paintings appear in the 19th-century American art market, where landscape works by artists of his generation are sold at regional and national auction houses. Key factors that can affect appraisal include the painting's size, subject matter (coastal and New England landscapes are closely associated with his output), condition, provenance documentation, and exhibition or publication history. Works on paper, including etchings, may also surface. Comparable auction results for Barbizon-influenced American landscape painters of the period provide useful market context, though individual lots can vary widely based on quality and attribution certainty.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines verified identity data from library authority files, museum records, and biographical sources with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. Artist identity information is grounded in Getty ULAN, VIAF, the Library of Congress, and RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History entries.

## Sources

- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/31552
- VIAF (OCLC): https://viaf.org/viaf/42899443/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500012208
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1517240
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82112121
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Swain_Gifford