Joseph Henry Sharp Sold at Auction Prices

Painter, Illustrator, b. 1859 - d. 1953

Artist Joseph Henry Sharp was among the first painters to create detailed portraits of Native Americans and the landscapes in which they lived. Sharp was born in Cincinnati in 1859, and he began developing his skills as a painter after a childhood accident left him completely deaf. Although he studied and trained in Europe, Native Americans and the American West captured his imagination, and many of Joseph Henry Sharp's paintings depicted this interest. He pursued these subjects, and by 1897, he was spending his summers painting in Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

As an artist, Joseph Henry Sharp had many influential patrons. However, Thomas Gilcrease, an Oklahoman oil tycoon, amassed more of Joseph Henry Sharp's artwork for sale than any other collector. Art aficionados will delight in finding their own original landscape paintings for sale at auction and online.

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sold
Sep. 16, 2023
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953), California Mums in Studio Window
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
Title: California Mums in Studio Window Dimensions: 20 x 24 Framed/base dimensions: 30 3/4 x 34 5/8 x 1 1/2 Signature: signed lower right: JHSHARP verso: titled and signed
Jackson Hole Art Auction
sold
Sep. 06, 2023
JOSEPH HENRY SHARP OIL PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG WOMAN.
Est: $2,000 - $4,000
A well-painted 1894 oil on board portrait of a young woman named Nattie, sitting in profile wearing white dress and a bonnet. Signed and dated lower right, J.H Sharp Munich 94, old artist title on reverse stretcher covered by plexiglass. Stretcher 37.75”H x 31”W. Overall in gilt gesso frame 45.5”H x 38.5”W.
William Smith Auctions
sold
Aug. 26, 2023
Joseph Henry Sharp, "Jerry Elk Foot of Taos"
Est: $3,500 - $6,500
Painting
Scottsdale Art Auction, LLC
sold
Aug. 26, 2023
Joseph Henry Sharp, "Concha-Taos"
Est: $600 - $800
Painting
Scottsdale Art Auction, LLC
sold
Aug. 21, 2023
J. H. Sharp (1859-1953), American School, Watercol…
Est: £600 - £800
J. H. Sharp (1859-1953), American School, Watercolour, An American Indian warrior looking over the plains. Signed lower right. Approx. 11 1/2" x 16 1/2"
Claydon Auctioneers
sold
Aug. 12, 2023
Att: Joseph Henry Sharp (American, 1859-1953)
Est: $400 - $800
Att: Joseph Henry Sharp (American, 1859-1953) Oil on Canvas. Signed lower left. Indian Man. Backside signed and dated. April 21, 1945. Approx dimensions: 24 x 20 canvas. Unframed. JD/B15/SH:4A
Joshua Kodner
sold
Jul. 27, 2023
Collection of Louise Fletcher: Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953): The Omnibus Declines to Take Mrs. Jones to Exeter Hall
Est: $600 - $800
Collection of Louise Fletcher: Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953): The Omnibus Declines to Take Mrs. Jones to Exeter Hall "The Omnibus Declines to Take Mrs. Jones to Exeter Hall"; oil on board; signed lower right; titled to printed paper label verso
Abell Auction
sold
Jul. 15, 2023
Joseph Henry Sharp
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
(American, 1859-1953) Cosmos and Hollyhocks, Taos, New Mexico, signed lower left "J.H. Sharp", titled on tacking edge verso (see condition note), oil on canvas, 20 x 24 in.; fine period carved gilt wood frame, 26-1/2 x 30-1/2 in. Provenance: Grady Estate, Tryon, North Carolina
Brunk Auctions
sold
Jun. 25, 2023
After Joseph Henry Sharp (American, 1859-1953) Oil Painting
Est: $800 - $2,000
Portrait of a Native American Man on Canvas. No signature found. Measures 16" x 12" including frame.
Lion and Unicorn
sold
Jun. 01, 2023
Louise Fletcher- Attributed to Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953): The Omnibus Declines to Take...
Est: $800 - $1,200
Collection of Louise Fletcher: Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953): The Omnibus Declines to Take Mrs. Jones to Exeter Hall oil on board; signed lower right; titled to printed paper label verso
Abell Auction
sold
May. 12, 2023
Joseph Henry Sharp (American, 1859-1953) Crow Lodge - Foot of Custer Battle Fiel
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
Joseph Henry Sharp (American, 1859-1953) Crow Lodge - Foot of Custer Battle Field, 1923-24 Oil on board 16 x 19-3/4 inches (40.6 x 50.2 cm) Signed lower right: J.H.Sharp Signed, dated, and titled on the reverse: Crow Lodge - Foot of Custer Battle Field / Crow Agency Mount / J.H.Sharp / 1923-1924 Non-Accessioned Property from the Dallas Museum of Art PROVENANCE: Collection of Royal A. Ferris, Jr. Please note this work became property of the Dallas Museum of Art without restriction, in accordance with the Texas Property Code, Title 6A, Chapter 80, and was never included in the Dallas Museum of Art's permanent collection. HID01801242017
Heritage Auctions
sold
May. 07, 2023
JOSEPH HENRY SHARP TAOS INDIAN OIL PAINTING
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
Title is Taos Warrior. Identified on back as show. Oil on Board. 5 1/2" by 9 3/4" unframed. 14 1/4" by 14 3/4" framed. Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953) was active/lived in New Mexico, California, Ohio. Joseph Sharp is known for Indian figure, landscape and still-life painting. Born in Bridgeport, Ohio, Joseph Sharp was regarded as the "father of the Taos Art Colony," and was known for his Indian figure and genre painting as well as for exquisitely colorful landscapes. He was one of the first Caucasian artists to visit New Mexico, arriving in Santa Fe in 1883. He was also a visitor to Alaska, being one of the early artists who visited there after the purchase of the Territory. Although Sharp was completely deaf from a childhood accident, he reportedly had a cheerful nature and was an avid traveler, always seeking learning experiences about other cultures. From childhood he was interested in Indians, and at age fourteen, because of his deafness, left public school to study art in Cincinnati at the McMicken School and the Cincinnati Academy of Art. His studio was in the same building as that of Henry Farny who gave him books on Pueblo Indians. At age 22, Sharp went to Antwerp, Belgium where he studied with Charles Verlat, and two years later he began traveling the American West, going first on a sketching trip that included Santa Fe, places in California, and north to the Columbia River. He did numerous paintings of Indian figures to record their disappearing culture. In 1886, he returned to Europe for more study and enrolled at the Academy in Munich with Karl Von Marr. He also traveled with Frank Duveneck, famous Cincinnati artist, through Spain and Italy. From 1892 to 1902, he taught classes at the Cincinnati Art Academy, and from 1895 to 1896, attended the Academie Julian in Paris where he met Ernest Blumenschein and Bert Geer Phillips, who later joined him in Taos. In 1893, Joseph Sharp first went to Taos, and his sketches from that trip were published in Harper's Weekly. He began making summer trips West to sketch Indians, and in 1902, he painted in Arizona, California, Wyoming, and Montana. An admiring President Teddy Roosevelt had a studio built for Sharp at the Custer Battle Field site. From there Sharp traveled throughout the Plains to paint about 200 portraits of living Indians who had been in that battle. To achieve these paintings, he endured much severe weather and physical hardship. By 1912, Sharp was a permanent resident of Taos, living across from Kit Carson's homesite and painting many of the Pueblo Indians in their daily activities. His longtime close friend and model was Jerry (Elk Foot) Mirabal, who, dying in 1980, lived to be 110. Sharp continued to travel, going frequently to Hawaii and California during the winters where he completed numerous floral landscapes. He also stayed in close touch with his hometown of Cincinnati, where he relied upon friends in the Cincinnati Art Museum for canvas and certain types of paint, and in December, 1915, he held the first of fifteen annual Christmas exhibitions there. He died in Pasadena on August 29, 1953. His Indian paintings are prized for their detailed accuracy, and many of them are in the collection of the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley.
Davis Brothers Auction
sold
Apr. 06, 2023
Louise Fletcher- Attributed to Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953): The Omnibus Declines to Take...
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
"The Omnibus Declines to Take Mrs. Jones to Exeter Hall"; oil on board; unsigned; titled to printed paper label verso
Abell Auction
sold
Feb. 19, 2023
Attributed J H Sharp; Scout & Frontier Cabin Oil
Est: $600 - $900
Attributed to Joseph Henry Sharp (Western US, 1859-1953); Scout on Horse & Mother and Children in Frontier Log Cabin; oil on canvas, relined (titled to the new canvas reverse "The Scout"); framed. Height of art 7 inches (17.8 cm.) X width of art 9 inches (22.8 cm.).
Eddie's Auction
sold
Feb. 15, 2023
19th Century Pastel - Young Girl
Est: $200 - $300
19th Century Pastel by Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953). Depicting a young girl. Signed lower right. Dated 1883. Measures 20.5" tall x 17" wide. All invoices must be paid within 24 hours of the sale. This auction is Local Pick Up or Shipping with the Local UPS Store in Monmouth Junction, NJ. Local pickups are at our Monmouth Junction location on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday ONLY! All pickups are by appointment only. Any condition issues will be listed in the description. Please read the terms for full information.
Bodnar's Auction Sales
sold
Jan. 28, 2023
JOSEPH HENRY SHARP MONOTYPE PRINT HAWAII COAST
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
Large Format Colored Monotype. 17" by 26". One of a kind, made while Sharp was spending time in Kona Hawaii. Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953) was active/lived in New Mexico, California, Ohio. Joseph Sharp is known for Indian figure, landscape and still-life painting. Born in Bridgeport, Ohio, Joseph Sharp was regarded as the "father of the Taos Art Colony," and was known for his Indian figure and genre painting as well as for exquisitely colorful landscapes. He was one of the first Caucasian artists to visit New Mexico, arriving in Santa Fe in 1883. He was also a visitor to Alaska, being one of the early artists who visited there after the purchase of the Territory. Although Sharp was completely deaf from a childhood accident, he reportedly had a cheerful nature and was an avid traveler, always seeking learning experiences about other cultures. From childhood he was interested in Indians, and at age fourteen, because of his deafness, left public school to study art in Cincinnati at the McMicken School and the Cincinnati Academy of Art. His studio was in the same building as that of Henry Farny who gave him books on Pueblo Indians. At age 22, Sharp went to Antwerp, Belgium where he studied with Charles Verlat, and two years later he began traveling the American West, going first on a sketching trip that included Santa Fe, places in California, and north to the Columbia River. He did numerous paintings of Indian figures to record their disappearing culture. In 1886, he returned to Europe for more study and enrolled at the Academy in Munich with Karl Von Marr. He also traveled with Frank Duveneck, famous Cincinnati artist, through Spain and Italy. From 1892 to 1902, he taught classes at the Cincinnati Art Academy, and from 1895 to 1896, attended the Academie Julian in Paris where he met Ernest Blumenschein and Bert Geer Phillips, who later joined him in Taos. In 1893, Joseph Sharp first went to Taos, and his sketches from that trip were published in Harper's Weekly. He began making summer trips West to sketch Indians, and in 1902, he painted in Arizona, California, Wyoming, and Montana. An admiring President Teddy Roosevelt had a studio built for Sharp at the Custer Battle Field site. From there Sharp traveled throughout the Plains to paint about 200 portraits of living Indians who had been in that battle. To achieve these paintings, he endured much severe weather and physical hardship. By 1912, Sharp was a permanent resident of Taos, living across from Kit Carson's homesite and painting many of the Pueblo Indians in their daily activities. His longtime close friend and model was Jerry (Elk Foot) Mirabal, who, dying in 1980, lived to be 110. Sharp continued to travel, going frequently to Hawaii and California during the winters where he completed numerous floral landscapes. He also stayed in close touch with his hometown of Cincinnati, where he relied upon friends in the Cincinnati Art Museum for canvas and certain types of paint, and in December, 1915, he held the first of fifteen annual Christmas exhibitions there. He died in Pasadena on August 29, 1953.
Davis Brothers Auction
sold
Jan. 19, 2023
J.H. SHARP, British (19th century), Good Companions, 1879, oil on canvas, 9 x 7 inches
Est: $800 - $1,200
J.H. SHARP British, (19th century) Good Companions, 1879 oil on canvas signed and dated center right "J.H. SHARP / 79"
Shannon's
sold
Dec. 06, 2022
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953) American
Est: $500 - $2,000
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953) American Watercolor on Paper Measure 4"in H x 5"in W and 11 3/4"in H x 12 3/4"in W with frame Known for: Indian figure, landscape and still-life painting Biography: Joseph H. Sharp was born in Bridgeport, Ohio. He saw his first Indians in Wheeling, West Virginia, just across the Ohio River. He took an instant interest in them even before he became an artist. Though completely deaf as a result of a childhood accident he never allowed it to handicap him. He was an avid traveller and a very prolific artist. He attended the McMicken School of Design in Cincinnati, and later the Cincinnati Art Academy. In 1881 he went to Europe, studying with Charles Verlat in Antwerp and on successive trips, with Carl Marr in Munich and Benjamin Constant and Jean Paul Laurens in Paris. From 1892 to 1902 he taught the life class at the Cincinnati Art Academy during the winter, leaving his summers free for sketching trips which covered the entire West. Just prior to 1900, he went to the Sioux country in southeastern Montana. A year later, President Theodore Roosevelt had his Indian Commissioners build Sharp a studio and cabin at the Crow Agency on the old Custer battlefield. Sharp traveled throughout the Plains country doing hundreds of Indian paintings. In 1902, Sharp began spending several months each year in Taos, painting the Pueblo Indians. In 1909 he acquired a permanent studio there and in 1912, became a charter member of the Taos Society of Artists. Sharp's faithful accuracy in depicting the differences between various tribes--in facial structures, costumes, artifacts and ceremonials--make his work as highly prized by anthropologists as by art lovers. Nearly 100 of his paintings are owned by the Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkley. Others are in the Bureau of Ethnology of the Smithsonian and in museums throughout the country.
Coral Gables Auction
sold
Nov. 09, 2022
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953) American
Est: $1,500 - $2,000
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953) American Watercolor on Paper Measure 4"in H x 5"in W and 11 3/4"in H x 12 3/4"in W with frame Known for: Indian figure, landscape and still-life painting Biography: Joseph H. Sharp was born in Bridgeport, Ohio. He saw his first Indians in Wheeling, West Virginia, just across the Ohio River. He took an instant interest in them even before he became an artist. Though completely deaf as a result of a childhood accident he never allowed it to handicap him. He was an avid traveller and a very prolific artist. He attended the McMicken School of Design in Cincinnati, and later the Cincinnati Art Academy. In 1881 he went to Europe, studying with Charles Verlat in Antwerp and on successive trips, with Carl Marr in Munich and Benjamin Constant and Jean Paul Laurens in Paris. From 1892 to 1902 he taught the life class at the Cincinnati Art Academy during the winter, leaving his summers free for sketching trips which covered the entire West. Just prior to 1900, he went to the Sioux country in southeastern Montana. A year later, President Theodore Roosevelt had his Indian Commissioners build Sharp a studio and cabin at the Crow Agency on the old Custer battlefield. Sharp traveled throughout the Plains country doing hundreds of Indian paintings. In 1902, Sharp began spending several months each year in Taos, painting the Pueblo Indians. In 1909 he acquired a permanent studio there and in 1912, became a charter member of the Taos Society of Artists. Sharp's faithful accuracy in depicting the differences between various tribes--in facial structures, costumes, artifacts and ceremonials--make his work as highly prized by anthropologists as by art lovers. Nearly 100 of his paintings are owned by the Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkley. Others are in the Bureau of Ethnology of the Smithsonian and in museums throughout the country.
Coral Gables Auction
sold
Nov. 09, 2022
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953) American
Est: $1,500 - $2,000
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953) American Watercolor on Paper Measure 4"in H x 5"in W and 11 3/4"in H x 12 3/4"in W with frame Known for: Indian figure, landscape and still-life painting Biography: Joseph H. Sharp was born in Bridgeport, Ohio. He saw his first Indians in Wheeling, West Virginia, just across the Ohio River. He took an instant interest in them even before he became an artist. Though completely deaf as a result of a childhood accident he never allowed it to handicap him. He was an avid traveller and a very prolific artist. He attended the McMicken School of Design in Cincinnati, and later the Cincinnati Art Academy. In 1881 he went to Europe, studying with Charles Verlat in Antwerp and on successive trips, with Carl Marr in Munich and Benjamin Constant and Jean Paul Laurens in Paris. From 1892 to 1902 he taught the life class at the Cincinnati Art Academy during the winter, leaving his summers free for sketching trips which covered the entire West. Just prior to 1900, he went to the Sioux country in southeastern Montana. A year later, President Theodore Roosevelt had his Indian Commissioners build Sharp a studio and cabin at the Crow Agency on the old Custer battlefield. Sharp traveled throughout the Plains country doing hundreds of Indian paintings. In 1902, Sharp began spending several months each year in Taos, painting the Pueblo Indians. In 1909 he acquired a permanent studio there and in 1912, became a charter member of the Taos Society of Artists. Sharp's faithful accuracy in depicting the differences between various tribes--in facial structures, costumes, artifacts and ceremonials--make his work as highly prized by anthropologists as by art lovers. Nearly 100 of his paintings are owned by the Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkley. Others are in the Bureau of Ethnology of the Smithsonian and in museums throughout the country.
Coral Gables Auction
sold
Nov. 06, 2022
JOSEPH HENRY SHARP "INDIAN ENCAMPMENT" WATERCOLOR ON PAPER
Est: -
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953) "Indian Encampment" Watercolor on Paper. Signed on lower right. Born in Bridgeport, Ohio, Joseph Sharp was regarded as the "father of the Taos Art Colony," and was known for his Indian figure and genre painting as well as for exquisitely colorful landscapes. He was one of the first Caucasian artists to visit New Mexico, arriving in Santa Fe in 1883. He was also a visitor to Alaska, being one of the early artists who visited there after the purchase of the Territory. From childhood he was interested in Indians, and at age fourteen, because of his deafness, left public school to study art in Cincinnati at the McMicken School and the Cincinnati Academy of Art. His studio was in the same building as that of Henry Farny who gave him books on Pueblo Indians. He did numerous paintings of Indian figures to record their disappearing culture. In 1893, Joseph Sharp first went to Taos, and his sketches from that trip were published in Harper's Weekly. He began making summer trips West to sketch Indians, and in 1902, he painted in Arizona, California, Wyoming, and Montana. An admiring President Teddy Roosevelt had a studio built for Sharp at the Custer Battle Field site. From there Sharp traveled throughout the Plains to paint about 200 portraits of living Indians who had been in that battle. To achieve these paintings, he endured much severe weather and physical hardship. By 1912, Sharp was a permanent resident of Taos, living across from Kit Carson's homesite and painting many of the Pueblo Indians in their daily activities. His longtime close friend and model was Jerry (Elk Foot) Mirabal, who, dying in 1980, lived to be 110. Sharp continued to travel, going frequently to Hawaii and California during the winters where he completed numerous floral landscapes. Artist: Joseph Henry Sharp Title: "Indian Encampment" Medium: Watercolor on Paper Signature Type: Hand Signed Signature Location: Lower Right Site Measurement: 7 x 10 in. Keywords: Native American, Indian Artwork, Art; Ref: BD1101
Bradford's
sold
Nov. 05, 2022
Joseph Sharp, Southern Camp, Northern Cheyenne, Lame Deer Valley Montana
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
Joseph Sharp (1859 - 1953) Southern Camp, Northern Cheyenne, Lame Deer Valley Montana oil on panel (cigar box top) signed lower left: J.H.SHARP. verso: inscribed
Santa Fe Art Auction
sold
Nov. 04, 2022
Joseph Henry Sharp (American, 1859-1953) The Blow Hole, Kona Coast, Hawaii Water
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
Joseph Henry Sharp (American, 1859-1953) The Blow Hole, Kona Coast, Hawaii Watercolor and pencil on board 8 x 11-1/4 inches (20.3 x 28.6 cm) Signed lower right: JH Sharp PROVENANCE: Altermann Galleries, Santa Fe, New Mexico, December 7, 2014, lot 551; Private collection, Chicago, Illinois, acquired from the above. HID01801242017
Heritage Auctions
sold
Nov. 04, 2022
Joseph Henry Sharp (American, 1859-1953) Taos in Bloom (View from the Artist's S
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
Joseph Henry Sharp (American, 1859-1953) Taos in Bloom (View from the Artist's Studio) Oil on canvas 16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm) Signed lower left: JHSharp Property from a Distinguished Collection, Oklahoma PROVENANCE: Fenn Galleries, Ltd., Santa Fe, New Mexico; Acquired by the present owner from the above. Joseph Henry Sharp made his first trip West in 1883, where he was introduced to the remarkable vistas and cultural depth of New Mexico. Beginning in 1893 he spent every summer in Taos until he settled there permanently and completed his chapel studio in 1910. While his summers were dedicated to Taos, his winters were spent at Crow Agency in Montana, where his interest in landscape painting had been amplified due to the difficulty in finding models who would pose for him. Having adopted the impressionist style, Sharp often painted en plein air, cleverly adapting a shepherd's wagon as a studio-on-wheels making a skylight of sheet mica that allowed him to do on-the-spot sketching. Taos in Bloom (View from the Artist's Studio) revels in the vibrancy and beauty of the New Mexico countryside. The lush landscape blanketed with sunlit-infused sagebrush and wildflowers was a view readily accessible from Sharp's studio door. He passionately depicts his homeland through energetic brushwork and a bold palette; common trademarks often seen in his iconic depictions of Native Americans. Sharp's dedication and love for Taos ultimately resulted in him becoming one of the founding members of the Taos Society of Artists, earning him the title as one of the most prolific painters of the American West. HID01801242017
Heritage Auctions