Shelby Lee Adams Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Shelby Lee Adams Art Value Price Guide

Apr. 26, 2025
Adams, Shelby Lee; Appalachian Portraits [1993 1ST EDITION & 1ST PRINTING - HARDCOVER WITH DUST JACKET - NICE COPY]
Est: $450 - $650
University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, 1993. Hardcover in pictorial dust jacket. First Edition, First Printing (with a full numberline ending in 1). Oblong quarto. 108 pages with 50 duotone black and white photographic images throughout. SIGNED/INSCRIBED abd dated in the year of publication (Oct. 1993) by Shelby Lee Adams to the first page (beneath the portrait "Scotty with Banjo and Tom, Barwick, 1992") : "To Allan Albert, / Many thanks to you / for your interest and support / of my work. / Warm Regards, / Shelby / Oct. 1993". BOOK CONDITION: Fine, a solid, tight, clean copy in a Fine dust jacket with signs of light overall shelf wear, rubbing and light wear to jacket edges and a small abrasion near upper left corner of rear panel. SIGNED
Bucklin
May. 16, 2024
Shelby Lee Adams (b. 1950), LEDDIE WITH CHILDREN, 1990
Est: $2,500 - $3,500
Shelby Lee Adams (b. 1950), American LEDDIE WITH CHILDREN, 1990 gelatin silver print signed, titled, dated and numbered 6/25 verso; printed ca. 1995 image 9.75 x 12.75 in — 24.8 x 32.4 cm Provenance: Private Collection, Toronto, ON Estimate: $2,500—3,500
Waddington's
Nov. 19, 2023
Shelby Lee Adams (b. 1950) Signed Gelatin Silver Photograph Winter 81
Est: $300 - $400
Signed in pencil lower right. Titled lower left. Approx. 9.625 in. H x 13 in. W (image). 11 in. H x 14 in.W (paper)
Hughes Auctions
Oct. 27, 2023
Gelatin Silver Print of Aunt Margaret by Shelby Lee Adams (American, b. 1950)
Est: $800 - $1,200
Aunt Margaret Gelatin silver print Pencil impression of title, number and dated "04." Signed l.r. 11 x 10.5 inches (sight) 24.25 x 20.25 inches (frame) Overall good condition.
Lewis & Grant Auctions
Jul. 27, 2023
Shelby Lee Adams photograph, Bert with Guitar
Est: $500 - $800
Heading: Author: Adams, Shelby Lee Title: Bert with Guitar Place Published: Publisher: Date Published: 1992 Description: Gelatin silver print. 50x40 cm (19¼x15¾"). No. 2 of 25. Signed and numbered by the photographer on reverse. Shelby Lee Adams (b.1950) is an American photographer notable for his photography of Appalachia.
PBA Galleries Auctions & Appraisers
May. 19, 2023
Shelby Lee Adams
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
(American, b. 1950) Lloyd Deane with Family and Coal Truck, 2002, signed margin recto "Shelby Lee Adams", also titled, dated "02", and editioned 3/25 margin recto, with same information verso, gelatin silver print, sheet 16 x 20 in.; matted 20 x 24 in. Provenance: Private Collection, North Carolina
Brunk Auctions
May. 19, 2023
Shelby Lee Adams
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
(American, b. 1950) Children with Blind Horse, 2008, signed margin recto "Shelby Lee Adams", also titled, dated "08", and editioned 3/25 margin recto, with same information verso, gelatin silver print; sheet 16 x 20; matted 20 x 24 in.; Provenance: Private Collection, North Carolina
Brunk Auctions
Oct. 14, 2022
Shelby Lee Adams
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
(American, b. 1950) Leddie and Children, Sloan Mountain, 1990, signed, numbered, 5/5 margin recto, also verso, gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 in.; unmatted, unframed Provenance: Private Collection, Wisconsin
Brunk Auctions
Oct. 14, 2022
Shelby Lee Adams
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
(American b. 1950) Ten works; Amanda and Dolls, 2002, edition 1/25; Berthie Napier with Pipe and John, 1992, edition 3/25; Crow and Brice Under the Peach Tree, 1993, edition 1/25; Donnie with Baby and Cows, 1999, edition 12/25; Driving Straight to Hell, 1998, edition 6/25; The Funeral Home, 1990, edition 12/25; Jesse Estep, 1986, edition 1/25; Napier Brothers with Puppies, 1993, edition 15/25; Nora?s Bedroom, 1995, edition 3/25; Tyler and Sheba, 2001, edition 7/25; All titled, signed, dated and editioned, all silver gelatin prints, all 11 x 14 in.; all unframed Provenance: Private Collection, Wisconsin
Brunk Auctions
Aug. 23, 2022
Shelby Lee Adams (born 1950); Kasie Dawn;
Est: $800 - $1,000
Shelby Lee Adams (born 1950) Kasie Dawn, 2000 Gelatin silver print, signed, titled, dated and numbered '5/25' in pencil in the margin; signed, titled, dated and numbered '5/25' in pencil on the verso. 18 x 15in (45.8 x 38.2cm) sheet 20 x 16in (50.8 x 40.6cm) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Aug. 23, 2022
Shelby Lee Adams (born 1950); Leddie and Children;
Est: $800 - $1,000
Shelby Lee Adams (born 1950) Leddie and Children, 1990 Gelatin silver print, signed, titled, dated and numbered '24/25' in pencil in the margin; signed, titled, dated and numbered '24/25' in pencil on the verso. 9 1/2 x 12in (24 x 30.3cm) sheet 11 x 14in (28 x 35.6cm) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Nov. 18, 2021
Shelby Lee Adams (American, b. 1950), "Lee Hall, Retired Coal Miner"
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
Shelby Lee Adams (American, b. 1950) "Lee Hall, Retired Coal Miner, Camp Branch, Kentucky" 1983 gelatin silver print signed and numbered "5/25" lower right, titled lower left. Matted. 14" x 11", matted 20" x 16" Provenance: Bassetti Fine Art Photographs, New Orleans, Louisiana; Collection of Laura Grannen, New Orleans, Louisiana. Notes: "My photography of this culture - my culture - has developed over the years from encounters to interconnection and has grown into long-term, loving relationships. I love the mountain people because of (and often in spite of) the influences of some of my own kin." Shelby Lee Adams, 2011 Salt & Truth A native of Appalachia, Adams was born in Kentucky and raised in the holler of Jackson's Fork, where his family had lived for generations. His father had a position with a natural gas company and the family was a part of the region's newly emerging middle class. Adams traveled across the country with his family, spending half the year in Kentucky and half the year in various cities. By the time he attended the Cleveland Institute of Art, he was acutely aware of the negative, one-dimensional stereotype of Appalachia and its people that was then so prevalent. This stereotype emphasized the (undeniable) poverty of the region to the detriment of virtually any other cultural aspects. In response, Adams began photographing his family and friends; he would take preliminary polaroids which he gave his subjects to examine, thus allowing for a level of collaboration rarely evident in such documentary images. Adams' subjects, despite their seemingly hard-scrabble lives, gaze directly at the viewer with pride and dignity, resulting in haunting black and white images.
New Orleans Auction Galleries
Jan. 23, 2021
2 Shelby Lee Adams BW Photos Home Funeral Leddie And Children ed25
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
Title: 2 Shelby Lee Adams BW Photos Home Funeral Leddie And Children ed25 Described By: Nikki CNX 1109 94 Description: Lot of two Shelby Lee Adams black and white Appalachia photos titled Home Funeral and Leddie and Children. One photo, Home Funeral, is in a frame and the other, Leddie and Children, is unframed. Pieces are in excellent shape! Here are the specifications Signature: Signed on the back, Shelby Lee Adams Circa Date: 1990 Condition of piece: Excellent, both pieces are very well preserved Measurements of image: Leddie and Children: 20in x 16in, Home Funeral: image- 18.5in x 14.5in, with mat- 25.5in x 22in Frame: Home Funeral- 29in x 26in Frame Condition: Great, minor wear Provenance: From The Estate of Dr. Gay Culverhouse, former President of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and noted Author. Repairs: N/A Previous auction records: N/A Estimated size of packaging: 37in x 31in x 6in (dimensional weight) Additional Info: If the winning bidder would like to arrange to pick up their item at our store, please notify us by email and we will make the appropriate shipping adjustments.
Hess Fine Art
Nov. 15, 2020
Shelby Lee Adams, "Vanessa" [Photograph, Photography]
Est: $950 - $1,200
“Vanessa”; 8.75x12.75” image on 11x14” ; hand signed recto and en verso; Silver Gelatin Print, 2007; Edition 11/25. Excellent Condition. Courtesy of the Artist. The influence of classic photographers and Southern writers and others who have documented the Appalachian region is clear in the work of Shelby Lee Adams. An image such as The Home Funeral, however, crystallizes the familiar shacks and extended families into something unexpected. Using multiple strobes and an 8×10 view camera, Adams achieves both a special quality of light and a depth of field that keeps everything, from the wall-calendar in the foreground to the stark bulb on the ceiling to the ferns above the coffin, in focus. Adams's composition – marked by sharp division of space and clarity of detail – places the viewer in the role of omniscient visitor to this otherwise private moment. Adams himself, having grown up in Kentucky and familiar with the mountain culture, is both an insider and an outside observer – a dichotomy the documentary photographer must frequently confront. He takes on this role once again in Leddie and Children, conveying a juxtaposition of both the claustrophobic familial closeness and the wide open space of the landscape itself. Shelby Lee Adams was born in 1950 in the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky. He now lives there as well as in the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts. Appalachia is not only Adams's birthplace, but the subject of his photographs as well. His images, focusing on the lives of the people of Appalachia, have been shown in one-person exhibitions at the Cleveland Museum of Art; the International Center of Photography, New York; Light Work, Syracuse, New York; and the Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, New York. His work is also included in the collections of many major museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, among others. Adams's photographs have been published in two volumes: Appalachian Legacy (1998) and Appalachian Portraits (1993).
Griffin Museum of Photography
Jul. 11, 2020
2 Photograph: Shelby Lee Adams, Teenie Harris
Est: $400 - $500
Two (2) photographs by Shelby Lee Adams and Charles "Teenie" Harris. 1st item: Shelby Lee Adams (American, b. 1950) silver gelatin print, "Harlan and Cathy with Water Pump," titled lower left margin, numbered "2/25" and signed lower right margin. Matted and framed under glass in a narrow black frame. Sight - 19 1/2" H x 15 1/2" W. Framed - 18 1/2" H x 23 1/2" W. Note: Shelby Lee Adams is an American environmental portrait photographer and artist best known for his images of the people of Appalachia. His work has been published in three monographs: Appalachian Portraits (1993), Appalachian Legacy (1998), and Appalachian Lives (2003) and is the subject of a documentary "The True Meaning of Pictures: Shelby Lee Adams's Appalachia." 2nd item: Charles "Teenie" Harris (American, 1908-1998), "Iola Green dressed as "Aunt Jemima" Making Pancakes in Donahoe's Food Store, Downtown, 1952," gelatin silver print, matted and framed under glass in a narrow black frame. Sight - 15 1/2" H x 19 1/2" W. Framed - 23" H x 27" W. Note: A note on back states this photograph was purchased in Pittsburgh in 1998 by Anne Brown, owner of The Arts Company in Nashville. Note: Charles "Teenie" Harris is known for his photographs of Pittsburgh's African American community taken from about 1935 through 1975. Provenance: the estate of Raeanne Rubenstein, Nashville, Tennessee. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School of Communication, Ms. Rubenstein was a professional photographer specializing in images of celebrities ranging from John Lennon, Janis Joplin and Andy Warhol to Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton. Her work appeared in Rolling Stone, Life, People, and most recently the Ken Burns documentary, Country Music.
Case Antiques, Inc. Auctions & Appraisals
Oct. 16, 2014
SHELBY LEE ADAMS (American, b. 1950) Kasie Dawn, 2000 G
Est: $1,800 - $2,200
SHELBY LEE ADAMS (American, b. 1950) Kasie Dawn, 2000 Gelatin silver 18-3/4 x 15 inches (47.6 x 38.1 cm) Signed, titled, dated, and editioned '13/25' in pencil in the margin recto. FROM A PRIVATE NEW YORK COLLECTION
Heritage Auctions
Sep. 21, 2013
Shelby Lee Adams (American, b. 1950)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
The Napier Brothers with Puppies, 1993. Silver gelatin print, from an edition of 25, this being numbered 25/25. Signed in lower margin, titled and dated. Acquired from the Catherine Edelman Gallery exhibition "Salt & Truth", 1993. Matted and framed under glass overall 25" x 28-1/4". View on AspireAuctions.com"
Aspire Auctions Fine Art & Antiques
Apr. 08, 2013
ADAMS, SHELBY LEE (b. 1950) [Christmas Day, 1976].
Est: $800 - $1,200
ADAMS, SHELBY LEE (b. 1950) [Christmas Day, 1976]. Gelatin silver print, 12 3/4 x 9 3/4 inches (324 x 248 mm), signed, titled, dated and numbered both recto and verso below image in pencil, numbered 9 from the edition of 25.
DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers
May. 02, 2011
SHELBY LEE ADAMS (American, b. 1950) Leddie and Childre
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
SHELBY LEE ADAMS (American, b. 1950) Leddie and Children, 1990 Gelatin silver, 1990 Paper: 11 x 14 inches (27.9 x 35.5 cm) Image: 9-1/4 x 12-1/4 inches (23.5 x 31.1 cm) Ed. 13/25 Recto and verso: signed, titled, numbered, and dated in pencil State: unmounted, matted, framed, and glazed
Heritage Auctions
Dec. 03, 2010
SHELBY LEE ADAMS (American, b. 1950) Kelly and Armelda
Est: $900 - $1,200
SHELBY LEE ADAMS (American, b. 1950) Kelly and Armelda (American Gothic), 1980 Gelatin silver, 1983 Paper: 14 x 11 inches (35.6 x 27.9 cm) Image: 12-1/2 x 9-3/4 inches (31.8 x 24.8 cm) Edition: 2/25 Recto: signed, titled, dated, and numbered in pencil State: matted and framed
Heritage Auctions
Nov. 19, 2009
[ PHOTOGRAPH ]
Est: $1,200 - $1,800
SHELBY LEE ADAMS (American, b. 1950) The Napier Brothers with Puppies, 1993 Gelatin silver, 1993 Paper: 11 x 14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm) Image: 9-3/4 x 12-3/4 inches (24.8 x 32.5 cm) Recto: titled, dated, editioned, and signed Napier Brothers with Puppies 93 11/25 Shelby Lee Adams in graphite Verso: titled, dated, editioned, and signed Napier Brothers with Puppies 93 11/25 Shelby Lee Adams in graphite State: unmounted, matted, framed, and glazed
Heritage Auctions
Dec. 12, 2008
SHELBY LEE ADAMS (American, b. 1950) Kelly and
Est: $1,000 - $1,200
SHELBY LEE ADAMS (American, b. 1950) Kelly and Armelda (American Gothic), 1980 Silver gelatin, 1983 Paper: 14 x 11 inches (35.6 x 27.9 cm) Image: 12-1/2 x 9-3/4 inches (31.8 x 24.8 cm) Recto: signed, titled, dated, and editioned 2/25 in graphite in artist's hand State: matted, framed Overall good condition, not examined outside of frame.
Heritage Auctions
Dec. 12, 2008
SHELBY LEE ADAMS (American, b. 1950) The Napier
Est: $1,500 - $1,800
SHELBY LEE ADAMS (American, b. 1950) The Napier Brothers with Puppies, 1993 Silver gelatin Paper: 11 x 14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm) Image: 9-3/4 x 11-3/4 inches (24.8 x 29.8 cm) Recto: signed, titled, dated, editioned 11/25 in graphite in artist's hand Verso: signed, titled, dated, editioned 11/25 in graphite in artist's hand State: unmounted, matted, framed, glazed Excellent
Heritage Auctions
Oct. 19, 2004
ADAMS, SHELBY LEE (1950- )
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
"Jacob's Girls." Silver print, 9x7 inches (22.9x17.8 cm.), with Adams's signature, title, date, and edition number, in pencil, on recto, and with the photographer's signature, title, date and edition number, in pencil, on verso. 1987
Swann Auction Galleries