N.C. WYETH (1882-1945)










Provenance
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin R. Wyeth, 1913Mrs. Edwin Wyeth, to 1988
(Judy Goffman Fine Art, New York, NY, May 1991)
Collection of John Edward Dell, to August 1995
Private collection, New York, to 2008
[Somerville Manning Gallery, Greenville, Deleware, April 2008]
Exhibition
Philadelphia, PA, 1910, no. 798 on p. 51, as "Summer"Chadds Ford, PA, 1972, no. 12; Greenville, DE, 1995
Greenville, DE, Somerville Manning Gallery, "N. C. Wyeth: Painter and Illustrator," June 14-Sept. 14, 2019
Literature
Betsy James Wyeth, ed., The Wyeths, ...More...The Letters of N. C. Wyeth, 1901-1945 (Boston: Gambit, 1971), ps. 312, 313Douglas Allen and Douglas Allen, Jr., N. C. Wyeth, The Collected Paintings, Illustrations and Murals (New York: Crown Publishers, 1972), p. 275, illustration in b/w p. 62
John Edward Dell, ed., Visions of Adventure, N. C. Wyeth and the Brandywine Artists (New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2000), illustration in color p. 64
Christine B. Podmaniczky, N. C. Wyeth, A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings (London: Scala, 2008), I.284, p. 200
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History
Emerging at the end of the Gilded Age, N.C. Wyeth was one of the most important American artists and illustrators. His paintings and illustrations brought life to classic literature from Treasure Island to The Boy’s King Arthur and more. He is most remembered for his ability to capture crucial moments in narratives, fleshing out just a few words into a visual representation of deep drama and tension. Patriarch of the Wyeth artistic dynasty which includes his son Andrew and grandson Jamie, his influence touched future illustrators and artists.
Perhaps his most important legacy is how he shaped American imagination – of America itself and of wild possibilities. Wyeth’s powerful paintings gave life to many of the stories America told of itself. His early paintings captured life of the American West and some of his most beloved illustrations were for novels such as The Last of the Mohicans or short stories like “Rip Van Winkle”. Despite this success, Wyeth struggled with the commercialism of illustrations and advertisements, seeking his work to be accepted as fine art. Throughout his career, he experimented with different styles shifting from Impressionism to Divisionism to Regionalism.
N.C. Wyeth produced over 3,000 paintings and illustrated 112 books. His illustrations for the publisher Charles Scribner’s Sons were so popular they became known as Scribner’s Classics and remain in print to this day.
MoreAdditional Works Illustrating The Moods by George T. Marsh
"Spring. 'Song'" (1909)
"Autumn. 'Waiting'" (1909)
"Winter. 'Death'" (1909)
MARKET INSIGHTS
- The graph prepared by Art Market Research shows that since 1976, paintings by N.C. Wyeth have increased at a 13.4% annual rate of return.
- The market graph shows significant growth in the market since 2010, and a sharp increase as recently as 2020.
- 2 of the 3 top auction results are Western scenes
Top Results at Auction

"Portrait of a Farmer (Pennsylvania Farmer)" (1943) sold for $5,985,900 USD.

"Hands Up" (1906) sold for $4,951,500 USD.

"Indian Love Call" (1927) sold for $3,510,000 USD.
Comparable Paintings Sold at Auction

"Hands Up" (1906) sold for $4,951,500 USD.
- Larger than Summer Hush
- Painted three years before Summer Hush
- Similar Western subject matter
- Originally published as the frontispiece illustration of C.P. Connolly’s The Story of Montana in the August 1906 issue of McClure’s Magazine

"Indian Love Call" (1927) sold for $3,510,000 USD.
- Larger than Summer Hush
- Painted 16 years after Summer Hush
- Similar Native American subject
- Originally painted as a private commission

"Stand and Deliver" (c. 1921) sold for $2,032,000 USD.
- Similar size
- Painted 12 years after Summer Hush
- Originally published on the cover of Life magazine on September 22, 1921.
- Auction record is from 16 years ago.

"The Skier (The Ski Runner)" (1910) sold for $1,205,000 USD.
- Painted 1 year after Summer Hush
- Slightly larger than Summer Hush
- Originally illustrated on the cover of The Popular Magazine’s February 1911 “Month End Edition”
- Auction record is from 8 years ago

"Indian Fishing" (1908) sold for $937,000 USD.
- Painted 1 year before Summer Hush
- Similar Native American subject
- Smaller than Summer Hush
- Originally published on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post on July 18, 1908
- Auction record is from 15 years ago
Paintings in Museum Collections
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Brandywine River Museum of Art, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts
Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, Maine
National Museum of American Illustration, Newport, Rhode Island
Denver Art Museum, Denver Colorado
Image Gallery
Additional Resources
"My Father" by Andrew Wyeth
The N.C. Wyeth House & Studio
The Letters of N.C. Wyeth
Authentication
See Summer. “Hush”‘s inclusion in Douglas Allen and Douglas Jr.’s catalogue raisonné of N.C. Wyeth’s artwork.