# Walter Elmer Schofield artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/walter-elmer-schofield/
Profile generated: 2026-05-29T18:45:05.812Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1867-09-09
- Death date: 1944-01-01
- Nationality: American
- Movements: American Impressionism, Pennsylvania Impressionism
- Common media: oil on canvas

## About Walter Elmer Schofield

Walter Elmer Schofield (1867–1944) was an American Impressionist painter born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Best known for vigorous landscape and marine compositions, he is grouped with the Pennsylvania Impressionists despite never residing in New Hope or Bucks County. Schofield traveled widely, painting in the Netherlands, France — especially Brittany — and along the American coast. In 1895 he undertook a cycling tour of the Netherlands alongside Robert Henri and William Glackens, artists who would become central figures in early twentieth-century American art. His canvases are recognized for bold brushwork, rich color, and atmospheric depictions of rivers, harbors, and snow-covered terrain. Works such as Autumn in Brittany, The Beech Wood, and The Birches (The Ravine) illustrate the breadth of his subject matter and his commitment to painting en plein air. Today his paintings appear in public collections and on the international auction market.

## Common works and media

Schofield primarily produced oil paintings on canvas. Characteristic subjects include coastal marine views, harbor scenes, riverscapes, snow-covered rural landscapes, woodland interiors, and Breton village settings. He worked in both large exhibition-scale canvases and smaller plein-air studies. Titled works documented in authority records include Autumn in Brittany, The Beech Wood, The Birches (The Ravine), and Across the River.

## Market and appraisal context

Schofield's work appears regularly at auction under American Paintings and Impressionist categories. Key factors influencing appraisal include subject (marine scenes and winter landscapes are especially sought after), canvas dimensions, date of execution, condition, and documented provenance. Works with exhibition history or museum provenance tend to command stronger results. Collectors should note that no single published catalogue raisonné was identified in available sources, so attribution is best supported by comparing the work to authenticated examples held by institutions. Some reference sources list conflicting birth years (1866 vs. 1867), a detail worth verifying when reviewing provenance documentation.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page draws on library-authority records (Getty ULAN, VIAF, Library of Congress, RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, Wikidata), biographical sources, and the artist's documented auction presence. When available, Appraisily supplements artist identity research with comparable public auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and lot descriptions to support informed appraisal decisions.

## Sources

- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/70872
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20850962
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/47560453/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500013660
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82232470
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Elmer_Schofield