Jane Peterson

Jane Peterson was one of the most celebrated American women painters of the early twentieth century — a colorist who studied with Sorolla in Spain and Brangwyn in London, painted Venice and Constantinople and the Gloucester wharves, and filled canvases with gladioli and zinnias that practically vibrate. In 1938 she was named one of America’s outstanding women by the American Historical Society.

Her market has grown steadily as American women artists are re-valued. Revere Auctions provides free auction estimates — send photographs and our specialists will respond with an honest valuation.

Who Was Jane Peterson?

Peterson was born in Elgin, Illinois in 1876 and came east to study at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, supporting herself teaching while she trained. What set her apart was the ambition of her further study: Frank Brangwyn in London and Venice, and Joaquín Sorolla in Madrid, from whom she took a lifelong love of saturated color and confident, loaded brushwork.

She traveled fearlessly — Europe, North Africa, Turkey — often painting outdoors in places where a woman traveling alone was itself remarkable. At home she painted New York, and above all Gloucester, whose wharves and boats she returned to for decades. Her exhibition record ran to hundreds of shows, including a major showing of her Turkish pictures.

Marriage in 1925 to the lawyer M. Bernard Philipp brought a Fifth Avenue life and, increasingly, the floral still lifes — gladioli especially — that became her later signature. She painted almost to the end of a long life, dying in 1965.

What Did Jane Peterson Paint?

Collectors know Peterson for three bodies of work: the Gloucester and New England harbor scenes, bold and structural; the travel pictures — Venice canals, Paris, Constantinople — often in gouache and watercolor as well as oil; and the flower paintings, especially gladioli, in which her Sorolla-trained color runs at full strength.

She worked fluently in oil, gouache, and watercolor, and the medium matters to the market — major oils lead, while works on paper trade more affordably and are an accessible entry point for collectors.

How Much Is My Jane Peterson Painting Worth?

Several things determine what a work by Jane Peterson brings at auction:

• Subject — Gloucester wharves, Venice, and the great gladioli still lifes are the most sought-after Petersons
• Medium — oils command the top of her market; gouaches and watercolors, though often brilliant, trade below them
• Boldness — her reputation is color and confidence — the strongest examples carry both at full volume
• Condition — gouaches fade and mat-burn; oils with clean, unretouched surfaces are rewarded
• Provenance — her long exhibition history means labels and old inscriptions are common and worth photographing

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 Jane Peterson

Peterson’s market has strengthened markedly as institutions and collectors revisit American women artists. Strong oils have brought five figures and, for the best subjects, well beyond that in recent years, while works on paper remain attainable. The direction of travel has been unmistakably upward.

That rising, uneven market is exactly where an expert estimate earns its keep — the difference between a routine result and a strong one is knowing what you have and presenting it to the right bidders.

How to Sell a Work by Jane Peterson

The strongest results for a Jane Peterson 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.

Jane Peterson: Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a Jane Peterson painting worth?

Strong oils bring five figures and more at auction in recent years; gouaches and watercolors trade below oils. Subject, medium, and condition drive the range. Revere Auctions provides free auction estimates from photographs.

What is Jane Peterson known for?

Gloucester harbor scenes, travel pictures of Venice and Constantinople, and brilliant floral still lifes — especially gladioli. She studied with Sorolla and Brangwyn and exhibited constantly for decades.

How did Jane Peterson sign her work?

Usually “Jane Peterson” in a lower corner; some later works carry “J.P.” or estate markings. Send photographs of the signature and the back and our specialists will review them free of charge.

Where can I sell a Jane Peterson painting?

At auction, in a market that is actively re-valuing American women artists. Revere Auctions provides free estimates and reaches those collectors nationally.

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