# Thomas Handforth artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/thomas-handforth/
Profile generated: 2026-08-24T12:54:18.492Z
Quality: medium confidence, adequate sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: American
- Common media: Etching, Painting, Illustration

## Portrait

![Thomas Handforth](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Portrait_of_Thomas_Handforth_LCCN2004662978.tif/lossy-page1-330px-Portrait_of_Thomas_Handforth_LCCN2004662978.tif.jpg)
Carl Van Vechten · Public domain
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Thomas_Handforth_LCCN2004662978.tif

## About Thomas Handforth

Thomas Handforth (1897–1948) was an American painter, illustrator, and etcher whose documented work spans fine-art media and children's publishing. Authority records and the National Gallery of Art identify him under the fuller name Thomas Schofield Handforth, while a biographical source uses the variant Thomas Scofield Handforth. This variation is relevant when matching catalog records and auction listings. Handforth is especially associated with Mei Li, the children's picture book he wrote and illustrated from experiences in China; the book received the 1939 Caldecott Medal for illustration. Collectors may encounter his name in connection with etchings, paintings, illustration art, and book-related material rather than through one documented artistic movement. Records at the National Gallery of Art, Getty ULAN, VIAF, and Wikidata provide a strong identity framework for distinguishing his work from that of similarly named people. The available sources do not support assigning Handforth to a named movement, so descriptions should emphasize documented media and publication connections.

## Common works and media

Authority records document Handforth as a painter, illustrator, and etcher. Auction and appraisal searches may consequently encounter etchings, paintings, original or reproduction illustration material, and items associated with children's-book publishing. Mei Li is the best-documented publication connection in the collected sources. Because the pack does not describe individual objects or editions, each item should be classified from its physical characteristics and cataloging evidence rather than from the artist's name alone.

## Market and appraisal context

An appraisal should begin by matching the artist's identity against documented name variants and determining whether the object is an etching, painting, original illustration, or book-related printed item. A demonstrated connection to Mei Li may provide useful context, but the source pack does not establish edition details or a market premium for that association. Public auction comparisons should use records from the same medium and object category, keeping autonomous works of art separate from books and reproductions. Appraisily has an auction-record page for Handforth, but the collected research does not include individual lot descriptions, realized prices, or trend evidence. No price prediction or general market direction can therefore be supported from this pack alone.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine public artist-identity research with auction records and, when available, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots. Identity and market evidence are kept distinct when the collected record is incomplete.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7790390
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/18148996141359752926/
- National Gallery of Art: https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.5738.html
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500105153
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Handforth
- Appraisily: https://appraisily.com/artist/thomas-handforth/