# William McTaggart artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/william-mctaggart/
Profile generated: 2026-05-16T22:16:06.543Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1835-10-25
- Death date: 1910-04-02
- Nationality: Scottish, British
- Movements: Impressionism (influenced by), Scottish landscape and marine painting tradition
- Common media: Oil painting, Watercolour

## About William McTaggart

William McTaggart (1835–1910) was a Scottish painter celebrated for his luminous landscape and marine subjects. Born on 25 October 1835, he built a reputation as one of Scotland's foremost painters of coastal life, capturing the light, weather, and atmosphere of the Scottish shoreline with a technique that drew on Impressionist principles. His work is held in major public collections including the Tate, and he was knighted for his contributions to art. McTaggart is sometimes recorded as William McTaggart (I) or William MacTaggart (I) to distinguish him from his grandson, the painter William MacTaggart (1903–1981). His paintings of the sea, rural scenes, and the Scottish countryside remain widely collected and appear regularly at auction.

## Common works and media

McTaggart worked primarily in oil on canvas and board, with watercolours also appearing. Common subjects include Scottish coastal and marine views, seascapes, fishing villages, rural harvest scenes, and landscape compositions. His works range from small preparatory studies and sketches to large exhibition-scale paintings. Prints and reproductions of his major works also circulate in the secondary market.

## Market and appraisal context

Works by William McTaggart appear regularly in British and Scottish art sales. Appraisal value depends on medium, dimensions, subject matter, date, provenance, and condition. His large coastal and marine oils are generally the most sought-after at auction. Collectors should confirm attribution carefully, as his work is occasionally confused with that of his grandson, the painter William MacTaggart (1903–1981). Consult comparable public auction records for current market context.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. This page draws on authority files from the Getty ULAN, VIAF, the RKD, the Tate collection, and Wikidata.

## Sources

- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/54378
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/18018453/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500006179
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/william-mctaggart-366
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_McTaggart
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8015513