
Appraisal: Clarence Millet Oil Paintings, ca. 1945
Clip: Season 29 Episode 1 | 3m 10sVideo has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Clarence Millet Oil Paintings, ca. 1945
Check out Aaron Bastian’s appraisal of Clarence Millet oil paintings, ca. 1945, in Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Hour 1.
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Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Ancestry and American Cruise Lines. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.

Appraisal: Clarence Millet Oil Paintings, ca. 1945
Clip: Season 29 Episode 1 | 3m 10sVideo has Closed Captions
Check out Aaron Bastian’s appraisal of Clarence Millet oil paintings, ca. 1945, in Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Hour 1.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipGUEST: Well, my grandparents and my mother traveled from El Dorado, Arkansas, to New Orleans in the summer of 1946 to get my mother's wedding dress and her trousseau in preparation to marry my father.
And my grandparents went into a gallery and my grandfather saw this painting, and fell in love with it, and bought it.
APPRAISER: And then what can you tell me about the little painting?
GUEST: Apparently, my parents, uh, communicated with the artist.
And in 1949, they bought this smaller painting, which is the study that he did before he painted the big painting.
We have a letter from him to my parents that he's enclosing the painting, and it cost $35.
APPRAISER: Not a small amount of money in 1949.
GUEST: No, no.
APPRAISER: And $500 was a lot of money in 1946.
GUEST: Right, right.
APPRAISER: Both of these paintings are by Clarence Millet, oil on canvas and both are of the old French Market in New Orleans.
We don't know for sure when these were done, but we have a pretty good guess.
We know he bought them in 1946.
Clarence was from Louisiana.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: That's where he spent his whole career.
He studied at the Art Students League from 1922 to 1924.
Even though he would tell people that he was self-taught, he definitely was not.
Uh, he was-- he was part of the establishment.
And in 1925, he set up shop in-in New Orleans.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And these are the kind of subjects that he became famous for, uh, an American Impressionist take on New Orleans.
This large painting was exhibited in numerous places, which is quite fun.
It's very unusual that you would track down the study later...
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: ...uh, which I also enjoy.
And I think that, when it comes to valuating something like this, that the question really becomes, "Where is it?
Is it somewhere good?
Is it something that the artist is known for?"
Yes, absolutely, right?
We got the French Quarter in, in, in New Orleans, exactly what he's known for.
Then there's a question of provenance.
Right, where has it been?
Right, okay.
What is the story?
What is its history?
And in this case, we know exactly when it was bought.
We know the artist knows about it.
And then we have letters and receipts that take us all the way back.
And then the third factor, really, when we're evaluating these things is, is color and quality.
Like, how good is it within the artist's body of work?
I think with these, you've really kind of hit it out of the park.
You've got all three things.
I would say a conservative auction estimate would be $30,000 to $50,000.
GUEST: Whoa.
(chuckles) APPRAISER: It would be a shame to break these up.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: I think they should stay together.
Uh, but the study all on its own, I would say is probably worth $3,000 to $5,000 right now.
GUEST: Wow.
My grandparents would be very proud.
(both laugh)
Appraisal: 1680 Moses Pitt North Pole Map
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S29 Ep1 | 4m 8s | Appraisal: 1680 Moses Pitt North Pole Map (4m 8s)
Appraisal: 1878 Napa Valley Wineries Silver-plate Presentation Tray
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Clip: S29 Ep1 | 2m 49s | Appraisal: 1878 Napa Valley Wineries Silver-plate Presentation Tray (2m 49s)
Appraisal: 1926 Rogers Hornsby Sterling Trophy
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Clip: S29 Ep1 | 1m 52s | Appraisal: 1926 Rogers Hornsby Sterling Trophy (1m 52s)
Appraisal: 1947 Max Ernst 'Dangerous Liaisons' Etching
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Clip: S29 Ep1 | 2m 32s | Appraisal: 1947 Max Ernst 'Dangerous Liaisons' Etching (2m 32s)
Appraisal: 1951 & 1925 Signed Baseballs
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Clip: S29 Ep1 | 1m 5s | Appraisal: 1951 & 1925 Signed Baseballs (1m 5s)
Appraisal: 1963 JFK Hospital News Broadcast Script
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Clip: S29 Ep1 | 2m 24s | Appraisal: 1963 JFK Hospital News Broadcast Script (2m 24s)
Appraisal: 1965 Bjorn Wiinblad 'Autumn' Figure
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Clip: S29 Ep1 | 1m 50s | Appraisal: 1965 Bjorn Wiinblad 'Autumn' Figure (1m 50s)
Appraisal: 1976 Marvel UK 'Super Spider-Man' #175 Cover Art
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Clip: S29 Ep1 | 2m 34s | Appraisal: 1976 Marvel UK 'Super Spider-Man' #175 Cover Art (2m 34s)
Appraisal: Chinese Manchu Semi Formal Silk Surcoat, ca. 1880
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Preview: S29 Ep1 | 4m 14s | Appraisal: Chinese Manchu Semi Formal Silk Surcoat, ca. 1880 (4m 14s)
Appraisal: French Figural Clock, ca. 1850
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Clip: S29 Ep1 | 3m 4s | Appraisal: French Figural Clock, ca. 1850 (3m 4s)
Appraisal: Magnolia Petroleum Co. Porcelain Sign, ca. 1930
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Clip: S29 Ep1 | 2m 16s | Appraisal: Magnolia Petroleum Co. Porcelain Sign, ca. 1930 (2m 16s)
Appraisal: Marcus & Co. Boulder Opal Gold Ring, ca. 1900
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Clip: S29 Ep1 | 2m 51s | Appraisal: Marcus & Co. Boulder Opal Gold Ring, ca. 1900 (2m 51s)
Appraisal: Patrociño Barela Carving, ca. 1950
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Clip: S29 Ep1 | 2m 24s | Appraisal: Patrociño Barela Carving, ca. 1950 (2m 24s)
Appraisal: Winslow Homer Watercolors, ca. 1878
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Clip: S29 Ep1 | 3m 43s | Appraisal: Winslow Homer Watercolors, ca. 1878 (3m 43s)
Appraisal: Zao Wou-Ki Lithograph, ca. 1960
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Clip: S29 Ep1 | 1m 3s | Appraisal: Zao Wou-Ki Lithograph, ca. 1960 (1m 3s)
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