Washington Bogart Cooper Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Washington Bogart Cooper Art Value Price Guide

Dec. 02, 2023
WASHINGTON BOGART COOPER (TENNESSEE, 1801-1889) ATTRIBUTED PAIR OF PORTRAITS
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
WASHINGTON BOGART COOPER (TENNESSEE, 1801-1889) ATTRIBUTED PAIR OF PORTRAITS, oil on canvas, each depicting a child seated in an outdoor setting, one wearing a colorful plaid dress with a straw hat by his side, the other wearing a white gown, each with later "Groves" in chalk to the stretcher, no signatures located. Each is housed in its original matching gilt and gesso frame. Mid-19th century. 33 1/4" x 28 1/4" sight, 42" x 37 1/2" OA. Shipping Note: IN-HOUSE SHIPPING IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THIS LOT. Please contact our local UPS store store6595@theupsstore.com for information on shipping or see our website for a list of third-party shippers https://www.jeffreysevans.com/buying/pick-up-and-delivery.
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates
Mar. 25, 2023
Washington Bogart Cooper, Nashville Portrait
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
(American, 1801-1889) Portrait of a Nashville Woman, oil on canvas, signed lower right "W B Cooper", 30 x 25 in; period molded and gilt wood frame, 39 x 33 in. Provenance: John W. Stark House, Springfield, Tennessee
Brunk Auctions
Oct. 08, 2022
Attr. Washington Bogart Cooper, O/C Portrait of Young Girl
Est: $800 - $1,000
Attributed to Washington Bogart Cooper (Tennessee/Louisiana, 1802-1889), oil on canvas portrait, likely posthumous, depicting the bust of a young child with straight blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and rosy cheeks, with the lower half of the body obscured by clouds. Housed in a molded giltwood frame with oval sight opening, having fruit, foliate, and shell carved corners. Sight (oval): 23" H x 18 7/8" W. Framed: 32 1/2" H x 28 5/8" W. 19th century.
Case Antiques, Inc. Auctions & Appraisals
Jul. 11, 2020
Washington Cooper, Nashville portrait of young William Robinson Cornelius, Jr.
Est: $1,000 - $1,400
Attributed to Washington Bogart Cooper (Tennessee, 1802-1888), Southern oil on canvas oval portrait of William Robinson Cornelius Jr. (1855-1945) depicted as a child of about 5-10 years old, attired in a black suit and white shirt. Unsigned. Conservation label en verso. Probably original oval rose and scroll molded giltwood frame. Sight - 30" H x 25" W. Framed - 38" H x 33" W. Circa 1860. Note: William Robinson Cornelius, Jr. was born in Nashville to William Robinson Cornelius, Sr., and Martha Dorris Cornelius. His father was an undertaker in Middle Tennessee, whose services were especially in demand during the Civil War. (According to his 1910 obituary, William Cornelius Sr. buried 25,000 citizens and 40,000 soldiers, "more than any man in Tennessee, and probably more than any man who is living today."). William Jr. did not follow his father into the funeral business, but instead became a grain broker. He lived in Nashville and married Lily Allen LeSueur, with whom he had five children. He is buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Nashville. (source: Findagrave.com). Provenance: the estates of Llewellyna and James T. Granbery, Historic Seven Springs Farm, Brentwood, Tennessee.
Case Antiques, Inc. Auctions & Appraisals
Jul. 21, 2018
19th Century Portrait Oil Painting Attributed to Washington Bogart Cooper - Possible Portrait of Felix Randolf Robertson
Est: $1,850 - $2,313
A large 19th Century Portrait Oil Painting attributed to renowned Tennessee portrait artist Washington Bogart Cooper (Tennessee, September 18, 1802 - March 30, 1888) | Oil on canvas | Housed in a beautiful antique rococo style ornate gold gilded gesso wood frame | Dimensions: Canvas only: 29" H x 24.25" W;" with frame: 45.50" H x 38.25" W x 5.50" D | Condition: several spots of a paper-like substance appear to have adhered to the varnish layer in the backgrounds above the subject's head and in the right quadrant background, most like reversible with cleaning. Light craquelure. Provenance: While the identity of the person depicted in this portrait is not known with certainty, the painting has descended through and since the 19th century owned by a longtime Nashville family with ties to the family of Confederate General Benjamin Franklin Cheatham and Nashville founder James Robertson. It has been suggested that the subject is Felix Randolf Robertson, son of Dr. Felix Robertson, founder and mayor of Nashville, Tennessee. About the Artist: Washington Bogart Cooper (Tennessee, September 18, 1802 - March 30, 1888) was a famed American portrait painter, sometimes known as "the man of a thousand portraits". Early life Washington Bogart Cooper was born near Jonesborough, Tennessee, on September 18, 1802, one of nine children. A brother, William Brown Cooper (1811â1890), also became a painter. As a child, he lived near Carthage, Tennessee and Shelbyville, Tennessee. He studied art with Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl in Murfreesboro and settled in Nashville in 1830. In 1831, he went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to study art with Thomas Sully and Henry Inman, and returned to Nashville in 1832. Career From 1837 to 1848, Cooper averaged thirty-five portraits a year. His portraits of Tennessee governors, commissioned by the Tennessee Historical Society, can be seen in the Tennessee State Capitol and the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville. He also did portraits for the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Tennessee, And a portrait of Alexander Campbell. The Tennessee State Museum holds fifty of his portraits. His account book can be found on microfilm in the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Some of his portraits are in Natchez, Mississippi, where he made a trip with his brother. Personal life In 1839, Cooper married Ann Litton from Dublin, Ireland. The couple had four children: James (1840â1843), James Litton (1844-1924), Kate (1846-1919), and Joseph Litton (1849-1936). A portrait of the three younger children is displayed in the Tennessee State Museum. The artist's family has a portrait that Cooper painted of his wife in about 1842. It is unlike his typical work, in that it shows the subject in profile, reading. It is considered to resemble Jean-Honor Fragonard's A Young Girl Reading. Death Washington Cooper died of pneumonia on March 30, 1888, at the age of eighty-six, and he is buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.
Worthington Galleries
Jul. 21, 2018
19th Century Portrait Oil Painting Attributed to Washington Bogart Cooper - Possible Portrait of Nashville, TN founder Dr. Felix Robertson
Est: $2,200 - $2,750
A large 19th Century Portrait Oil Painting attributed to renowned Tennessee portrait artist Washington Bogart Cooper (Tennessee, September 18, 1802 - March 30, 1888) | Oil on canvas | Housed in a beautiful antique ornate gold gilded gesso wood frame | Dimensions: Canvas only: 35.25" x 28.5;" with frame: 50.5" x 41.5" x 3.25" |Condition: several spots of a paper-like substance appear to have adhered to the varnish layer in the backgrounds above the subject's head and in the right quadrant background, most like reversible with cleaning. Light craquelure. Frame has been repaired in places Provenance: while the identity of the person depicted in this portrait is not known with certainty, the painting has descended through and since the 19th century owned by a longtime Nashville family with ties to the family of Confederate General Benjamin Franklin Cheatham and Nashville founder James Robertson. The subject bears a strong resemblance to Felix Robertson, purportedly the first white male child born in Nashville, and later mayor of Nashville, 1818-1819 and 1827-1828). About the Artist: Washington Bogart Cooper (Tennessee, September 18, 1802 â March 30, 1888) was a famed American portrait painter, sometimes known as "the man of a thousand portraits". Early life Washington Bogart Cooper was born near Jonesborough, Tennessee, on September 18, 1802, one of nine children. A brother, William Brown Cooper (1811-1890), also became a painter. As a child, he lived near Carthage, Tennessee and Shelbyville, Tennessee. He studied art with Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl in Murfreesboro and settled in Nashville in 1830. In 1831, he went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to study art with Thomas Sully and Henry Inman, and returned to Nashville in 1832. Career From 1837 to 1848, Cooper averaged thirty-five portraits a year. His portraits of Tennessee governors, commissioned by the Tennessee Historical Society, can be seen in the Tennessee State Capitol and the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville. He also did portraits for the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Tennessee, And a portrait of Alexander Campbell. The Tennessee State Museum holds fifty of his portraits. His account book can be found on microfilm in the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Some of his portraits are in Natchez, Mississippi, where he made a trip with his brother. Personal life In 1839, Cooper married Ann Litton from Dublin, Ireland. The couple had four children: James (1840-1843), James Litton (1844-1924), Kate (1846-1919), and Joseph Litton (1849-1936). A portrait of the three younger children is displayed in the Tennessee State Museum. The artist's family has a portrait that Cooper painted of his wife in about 1842. It is unlike his typical work, in that it shows the subject in profile, reading. It is considered to resemble Jean-Honor Fragonard's A Young Girl Reading. Death Washington Cooper died of pneumonia on March 30, 1888, at the age of eighty-six, and he is buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville. About the Subject: Felix Robertson (1781-1865) was an American pioneer, physician and Jeffersonian Republican politician. He served twice as the Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 1818 to 1819 as well as from 1827 to 1829. Early life Felix Robertson was born on January 11, 1781 at the fort Freeland's Station, which was later commemorated as a neighborhood of Nashville. He was born to General James Robertson and his wife Charlotte Reeves Robertson, who had arrived with the first large group of settlers in Middle Tennessee. He was the first known white child born in the settlement now called Nashville, while his father is regarded as the "Father of Tennessee" in history books. Career Robertson studied medicine under the direction of Benjamin Rush at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received his M.D. degree in 1806. He went on to practice medicine in Nashville for forty years. He served as Mayor of Nashville from 1818 to 1819 as well as from 1827â1829. He later took part in Robertson's Colony with his cousin Sterling C. Robertson, but they returned to Tennessee. He delivered a speech at the 26th annual meeting of the Tennessee Medical Society detailing the early physicians and medical practices in the early settlement of Nashville. He went on to work as a professor of medicine at the Old University of Nashville. He served as director of Medical Society of Tennessee from 1834 through 1840 and again in 1853 for two years. He was a close friend and personal doctor of President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845). He worked on his 1828 presidential campaign. Personal life He married Lydia Waters on October 9, 1808. They had five sons, James Waters, Benjamin, John E. Beck, Felix (died as infant), and Felix Randolph, and two daughters, Elizabeth, Elnora Reeves. He died on July 10, 1865, and he is buried in the Nashville City Cemetery. His tombstone is inscribed with the epitaph "First white child born in settlement now called Nashville; Distinguished as a physician; Foremost as citizen." His son, James Waters Robertson (1812-1836), went to Texas from Louisiana, took part in the Siege of Bexar during the Texas revolution and later served in the Alamo garrison. He died in the Battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836. Above Biographies are from Wikipedia.
Worthington Galleries
Aug. 05, 2017
Portrait of Thomas Helm, KY
Est: $1,000 - $1,400
Oil on panel oval portrait of an older gentleman, believed to be Thomas Helm of Kentucky (1785-1865). The subject is depicted in a black suit and tie and white dress shirt. Unsigned but attributed to Joseph Henry Bush (Kentucky/Natchez, 1794-1865) or possibly Washington Bogart Cooper (Tennessee, 1802-1888). Framed in a period giltwood and composition oval frame with elaborate moldings of egg and flower, oak leaf, leaf and berry clusters at corners and acanthus and shield borders. Sight - 29" H x 24" W. Framed - 34" H x 29" W. Circa 1850. Provenance: Descended through the family of Mr. Helm's daughter, Mary Montgomery Helm, who married Kentucky statesman, Joshua Fry Bell. According to oral history, the subject is Thomas Helm of Lincoln County, Kentucky. Helm was a property owner, served as Court Clerk of Lincoln County and was among the commissioners who drew up plans for the county courthouse. Artist Joseph Henry Bush was born in Mercer County Kentucky and grew up in Frankfort, Kentucky. He studied with Thomas Sully in Philadelphia but returned to settle in Louisville by 1819. He also worked in Cincinnati, New Orleans and Natchez. In the book "Lessons in Likeness: Portrait Painters in Kentucky and the Ohio River Valley, 1802-1920," The Kentucky art critic and author Estill Curtis Pennington notes that in the 1850s, Bush's portraits began to exhibit more realism than his earlier ones, and were often oval in format. Jonesboro, Tennessee-born Washington Cooper also is said to have studied briefly in Philadelphia with Thomas Sully (as well as Henry Inman). Washington Cooper moved to Nashville in about 1833. Cooper and his brother, William, who was also artist, eventually became Tennessee's most prolific portrait painters of the mid to late 19th century. Washington Cooper painted a series of portraits of the Governors of Tennessee, as well as many prominent private Southern citizens. (Additional high-resolution photos are available at www.caseantiques.com)
Case Antiques, Inc. Auctions & Appraisals
Jan. 23, 2016
Attr. W.B. Cooper, portrait of a woman
Est: $1,000 - $1,200
Tennessee oil on Canvas portrait of a woman in black dress, lace cap and collar, wearing a hair brooch; attributed to Washington Bogart Cooper (1801-1889). Unsigned. Housed in a molded gilt wood frame. Sight: 35 3/8"H x 28 3/4"W. Framed: 41 1/2"H x 34 7/8"W. Note: There is a possibility the subject of this painting is Hetty Montgomery Kennedy McEwen (also spelled Hettie, of Tennessee, b. 1796-d. 1881), a noted Nashville Unionist whose family pioneered Lincoln County, Tennessee. It descended in the same family as the portrait of child Hatty McEwen (also attributed to Cooper), which is also being offered in this auction. (Higher-resolution photos are available at www.caseantiques.com)
Case Antiques, Inc. Auctions & Appraisals
Jan. 23, 2016
Attr. Cooper child portrait, Hetty McEwen
Est: $1,200 - $1,800
Tennessee oil on canvas portrait of a child, Hetty McEwen, attributed to Washington Bogart Cooper (1801-1889). The little girl is depicted seated on the ground and holding a rose in one hand, a basket of roses in the other hand, landscape visible in the background. Unsigned. Mid 19th century. Original giltwood molded oval frame with floral and intertwined cord moldings. Sight: 35 1/4" H x 28 1/4" W. Framed: 44 1/2" H x 36 3/4" W x 3 3/4" D. Note: There were two Hetty (also spelled Hettie) McEwens in the family in which this painting descended, either of whom could be the subject of this painting. One was born June 28, 1840 to mother Hetty Montgomery Kennedy McEwen and father Robert Houston McEwen of Nashville, noted Unionists; the other was born 1869 to the couple's son Robert Houston McEwen Jr. and his wife, Lucy Putnam McEwen. Descended in the subject's family to present Nashville consignor, along with the portrait of a woman in black dress, also offered in this auction. Many of the family's papers are now in the collection of the University of Virginia Library: http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=uva-sc/viu00029.xml (Higher-resolution photos are available at www.caseantiques.com)
Case Antiques, Inc. Auctions & Appraisals
Jun. 28, 2015
Washington Cooper Portrait of David S. Evans, 1841
Est: $1,500 - $3,000
Attributed to Washington Bogart Cooper (American (Tennessee), 1802-1888). "Portrait of David S. Evans" - 1841, oil on canvas, apparently unsigned. Formal portrait painting depicting David S. Evans (American (Shelbyville, Tennessee), 1794-1869) at bust length wearing a black coat over white shirt and black cravat, his long face with strong nose, large blue eyes, and thin pink lips, the figure seated in a red upholstered chair in front of a dark, solid background. Label to verso of frame "David S. Evans, Born Nov. 29, 1795 Virginia, Died Aug. 19, 1869 Shelbyville, Tenn, Great Grandfather of Margaret Evans Lyle Cooper". Accompanied with appraisal from Paul E. Sternberg, Sr. of Marietta, Georgia dated November 11, 1987 valuing the painting at $14,000. Framed approximately 35.75" x 30.75", unframed approximately 30.125" x 20.25". Note: Washington Bogart Cooper is colloquially called "The Man of 1000 Portraits" due to him averaging about 35 portraits per year, including portraits of Tennessee governors commissioned by the Tennessee Historical Society, portraits for the Methodist Church in Tennessee, and for the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Tennessee.
Ahlers & Ogletree Inc.
Jan. 25, 2014
Tennessee Child Portrait, c.1850
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
Circa 1850 oval half length portrait of a little girl in a blue dress, holding a bouquet of flowers, with lush landscape in the background. Scratched inscription en verso, on stretcher, reads "By Washington Cooper Verifed TN Museum" (Washington Bogart Cooper (Tennessee, 1802-1888)). However, characteristics of the painting including the elongated arms, sloping shoulders, face, and hands of the subject share similarities to works by other Tennessee painters such as Washington Cooper's brother William Browning Cooper (1811-1900), and William Stamms Shackleford (Kentucky/Tennessee, 1814-1878). Provenance: descended in the William Wesley Dillon (1866-1934) family of Nashville. 30" x 24-1/2". American, circa 1850.
Case Antiques, Inc. Auctions & Appraisals
Feb. 23, 2013
Attributed to Washington Bogart Cooper (American)
Est: $2,500 - $3,500
Attributed to Washington Bogart Cooper (American/Tennessee/New Orleans, 1802-1889), probably with assistance from his brother William Brown Cooper (American/Tennessee/New Orleans, 1811-1900), "Matilda Eleanor Bowie Moore (1816-1892) and Her Son Joseph Regis Bowie Moore (b. 1835)", c. 1838-1839, oil on canvas, unsigned, 30 in. x 25 in., framed Start Price: USD 1700
Neal Auction Company