Edward Willis Redfield

Edward Willis Redfield strapped his canvas to a tree in a Bucks County snowstorm and painted what he saw in a single sitting, outdoors, start to finish. That method — “at one go,” as he called it — made him the most decorated American painter of his generation and still defines the market for Pennsylvania Impressionism today.

If you own a Redfield, you own a significant American painting. Revere Auctions provides free auction estimates: send photographs of the front, the back, and the signature, and our fine art specialists will respond with an honest valuation.

Who Was Edward Willis Redfield?

Redfield was born in Bridgeville, Delaware in 1869 and trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under Thomas Anshutz, alongside his lifelong friend Robert Henri. Like most ambitious young American painters of the era he went on to Paris and the Académie Julian, and it was in France that he met his wife, Elise, and began painting winter landscapes directly from nature.

In 1898 he settled in Center Bridge, on the Delaware River just above New Hope, Pennsylvania, and became the central figure of the artist colony that grew there. He painted the river, the canal, the hillside farms and the villages in snow, working outdoors in brutal weather with the canvas lashed down against the wind, finishing a full-size painting in a single day because, he said, the light would never be the same twice.

The honors piled up — he was among the most awarded American artists of his time, with medals from exhibitions across the country and in Europe. He was also his own harshest critic: late in life he burned hundreds of canvases he judged unworthy of his name, an act of quality control that collectors have been grateful for, and dealers have mourned, ever since.

What Did Redfield Paint?

Redfield is above all a painter of snow. The classic pictures are large, vigorous winter landscapes of the Delaware River valley — frozen river, stone farmhouses, bare trees against a heavy sky — painted with thick, decisive strokes that read as fresh today as they did in 1910. He also painted spring hillsides, village streets, and, from his summers in Maine, coastal scenes at Boothbay Harbor.

Because he worked at full size in one sitting, his canvases carry an energy that studio paintings of the same subjects rarely match. Collectors prize that immediacy, and they read his surfaces closely — the confident, loaded brush is part of how a Redfield announces itself.

How Much Is My Edward Redfield Painting Worth?

Several things determine what a work by Edward Willis Redfield brings at auction:

• Subject — the snow scenes of the Delaware valley are the heart of his reputation, and the market for them reflects it; spring and summer subjects are collected on different terms
• Size and ambition — Redfield worked big, and the major one-sitting canvases are the works his name calls to mind
• Period — the New Hope decades, roughly 1900 through the 1930s, produced the pictures on which his reputation rests
• Condition — thickly painted surfaces are vulnerable to flattening in a bad relining; an untouched surface matters here more than for most painters
• Provenance and exhibition history — Redfield exhibited constantly, and a picture that can be traced to a named exhibition carries that history in the price

The honest answer is that no two are alike, and the difference between an ordinary example and an exceptional one is a conversation with a specialist, not a chart. Send us photographs through our free auction estimate form — front, back, signature, and any labels — and we will tell you what you have.

The Market for Redfield

Redfield sits at the top of the Pennsylvania Impressionist market. In recent years his typical auction results have run in the mid five figures, with strong snow scenes reaching toward six figures and the best examples above them. The market is national, but the deepest loyalty is regional — which is why a painting consigned with a house that catalogues him properly, to the collectors who follow him, performs differently than one sold as a generic landscape.

Smaller works, sketches, and atypical subjects trade well below the majors, and an estimate is the fastest way to learn where a particular picture sits.

How to Sell a Work by Redfield

The strongest results for an Edward Redfield painting come at auction, where national and international collectors bid against each other. Revere Auctions offers free, no-obligation auction estimates: send photos and dimensions and our specialists respond with a current market valuation and a recommendation on how to sell. Consigned works are professionally photographed, cataloged, and marketed through our fine art auctions to a worldwide bidder base, and we regularly arrange shipping for consignors across the country. If you need a formal written valuation for insurance or estate purposes, our appraisal and valuation services team can help; you can also read more about how selling at auction works.

Related: American & Western paintings, our fine art department, appraisal services, free auction estimates.

Reviewed by the fine art specialists at Revere Auctions, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Edward Willis Redfield: Frequently Asked Questions

How much is an Edward Redfield painting worth?

It depends on subject, size, period and condition. His strongest winter landscapes have brought well into six figures at auction in recent years, while smaller and atypical works trade lower. Revere Auctions provides free auction estimates from photographs.

How do I know if my Redfield is authentic?

Redfield signed most finished canvases “E.W. Redfield,” usually at lower left or lower right. Because he destroyed work he considered substandard, unsigned or weak examples deserve scrutiny. A specialist review of the signature, canvas, and stretcher is the right first step, and we do that as part of a free estimate.

What subjects did Edward Redfield paint?

Primarily winter landscapes of the Delaware River valley around New Hope and Center Bridge, Pennsylvania, painted outdoors in a single sitting. He also painted spring landscapes and Maine harbor scenes from his summers at Boothbay Harbor.

Where can I sell an Edward Redfield painting?

At auction, with a house that knows the Pennsylvania Impressionist market. Revere Auctions reaches the national collector base for Redfield and provides free, no-obligation auction estimates.

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