MILFORD, CONN.- Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers will present their annual fall Fine Art Auction on Thursday, October 24th, at 6 pm Eastern time. The sale will take place live online at shannons.com, with bidding also available by telephone and absentee.

Shannon’s has become the leading auction house for American art and this season proves their strength in attracting quality consignments in this genre. The firm secured 15 paintings from a major private collection of American art. Many of the paintings from this group are fresh-to-the-market, having been in private hands for decades.

The top lot from this collection is an exceptional Alfred Thompson Bricher, titled Morning at Narragansett – The Turn of the Tide (1871), estimated at $150,000-$200,000. This masterful, Luminist painting depicts a mother with her two children enjoying a day at the beach, young boys playing in the gentle waves, and a couple walking in the sand. Shannon’s has sold over 100 paintings by A.T. Bricher and company owner Sandra Germain said this is “easily among the best work by Bricher I have ever seen.”

19th century American paintings are a strength of this collection. In addition to the Bricher, Shannon’s will offer a Thomas W. Whittredge, titled View of Newport Beach at $50,000-$75,000; Jasper Francis Cropsey’s Greenwood Lake, at $50,000-75,000; and still-life paintings by Levi Wells Prentice and John F. Francis.


Oil on canvas painting by Ernest Lawson (Canadian/American, 1873-1939), titled Boat House, Winter, Harlem River (1918), signed and dated, 25 inches by 30 inches (est. $100,000-$150,000).


American Impressionism is led by an Ernest Lawson work titled Boat House, Winter, Harlem River from 1918, estimated at $100,000-$150,000. It was previously in the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum and in private hands since 2010. Other fine examples of American Impressionism include paintings of New York City by Colin Campbell Cooper and Edmund Greacen.

A superb Arthur Wesley Dow painting, titled Verge of the Abyss, depicts a rare view of the Grand Canyon painted in 1911-1912. Estimated at $80,000-$120,000, this work will undoubtedly attract interest from private collectors and museums alike. The collection includes other 20th century paintings by Dale Nichols and John Atherton.

From an important Midwestern collection of American Impressionism, Shannon’s will offer Frederick Carl Frieseke’s The Rose Gown from 1915, estimated at $80,000–$120,000. This impressive 32 inch by 32 inch painting depicts a woman in a rose-colored dress holding a posy. Shannon’s has attracted a following for Frieseke with recent sales of Lady Trying on a Hat for $450,000 (2023) and Dressing for $112,500 (2024).

A local-view of Woodbury, Connecticut titled The Road that Leads to Home, by Willard Leroy Metcalf, will be offered at an attractive estimate of $80,000-$120,000. A delightful Edward Henry Potthast of Children at Play on the Beach will be offered at $60,000-$80,000. This Midwestern collection features another Ernest Lawson titled Winter Scene descended in the family of the artist and estimated at $20,000-$30,000.


Oil on canvas painting by Emily Mason (American, 1932-2019), titled Three Musicians (1988), signed, 50 inches by 48 inches (est. $40,000-$60,000).


A collection of five paintings by Emily Mason will headline the Modernist offerings in this auction. Mason painted in New York City and taught at Hunter College for over 30 years. Shannon’s will offer Three Musicians, a 50 inch by 40 inch oil painting from 1988 at $40,000-$60,000 and Abstract Orange, a 40 inch by 35 inch oil painting from 1981-82 at $30,000-$50,000, alongside three works on paper.

An in-person preview of all the works featured in the auction will be on display weekdays on October 14-23 and on Saturday, October 19th. Shannon’s is one of the few auction houses still producing richly illustrated color catalogs to promote their offerings. The eagerly anticipated catalog will be available in October. Contact the auction house or sign up for the mailing list online.

The fall auction at Shannon’s will feature 183 lots of paintings, drawings, prints, and sculpture. To join the mailing list and for updates on the October 24, 2024 Fine Art Auction visit www.shannons.com, or follow them on social media. Shannon’s can be reached by phone at 203-877-1711; or via email at info@shannons.com.