# Thomas D Mangelsen artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/thomas-d-mangelsen/
Profile generated: 2026-05-29T20:47:41.786Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: American
- Common media: Fine art photography, Digital photographic prints

## About Thomas D Mangelsen

Thomas D. Mangelsen (born 1946) is an American nature and wildlife photographer and conservationist whose career spans more than four decades. Based in Jackson, Wyoming, within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, he has built a body of work recognized for intimate, unmanipulated portrayals of wild animals in their natural habitats. His 1988 photograph Catch of the Day has been called the most famous wildlife photograph in the world, and his long-running documentation of Grizzly 399 brought him wide public attention, including a 2018 profile on CBS's 60 Minutes. Mangelsen has traveled to all seven continents to capture landscapes, birds, and mammals, and his images are distributed through his Images of Nature gallery. He is also an active conservation advocate, particularly in efforts to maintain federal protections for Yellowstone grizzly bears.

## Common works and media

Mangelsen's output centers on large-format color photographic prints of North American and African wildlife, landscape panoramas, and bird portraits. Collectors most frequently encounter his work as signed, limited-edition pigment prints in sizes ranging from modest display formats to large murals. The artist also produces hand-finished sculptures and lost-wax bronzes derived from his photographic subjects. Books, calendars, and art cards are widely available but represent entry-level collectibles rather than fine art editions. The Grizzly 399 series and Greater Yellowstone wildlife images are the most consistently sought-after subjects.

## Market and appraisal context

Mangelsen's photographs enter the secondary market primarily as limited-edition fine art prints, issued in tiers—Legacy Reserve, Collector, and Artist Proof editions—each with stated edition sizes that close when sold out. Open edition prints and gift items exist at lower price points and are less likely to appreciate. Appraisal value depends on the edition tier, print size, image title, edition number, condition, and whether the image remains available from the artist's gallery. Iconic images such as Catch of the Day and Grizzly 399 subjects carry the strongest collector recognition. Because much of his work is sold through his own galleries, public auction comparables may be fewer than for artists distributed through traditional art-market channels.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research from authority files and institutional sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Thomas D. Mangelsen, identity data draws on VIAF, Wikidata, and the Library of Congress authority file, supplemented by the artist's official gallery site for edition and medium details.

## Sources

- VIAF (OCLC): https://viaf.org/viaf/79469904/
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q61594821
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_D._Mangelsen
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n88179622
- Thomas D Mangelsen: https://www.mangelsen.com/