Keeping It Cool

Winter scenes stole the show during latest edition of the American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionism sale

Freeman’s | Hindman held the late spring edition of its American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionism sale on June 8, amassing a total of $3.5 million. The sale offered a wide range of works by leading artists in the Pennsylvania Impressionist school, including Daniel Garber and Edward Willis Redfield. However, the top lot in the sale went to Canadian impressionist Clarence Alphonse Gagnon (1881-1942) for his oil on canvas, Sunday Morning, Québec, from around 1921. The snowy townscape sold for a remarkable $457,700—nearly ten times its high estimate of $50,000. This is the second highest auction price ever for the artist, and the highest ever in the United States.

Edward Willis Redfield (1869-1965), New Hope Locks. Oil on canvas, 24¼ x 29½ in., signed lower right: ‘E W Redfield’; signed and titled on stretcher. Estimate: $120/180,000 SOLD: $191,000

High-performing lots from the realm of Pennsylvania Impressionism include a masterful autumn oil painting by Garber titled In a Wood, which broke past its $150,000 high estimate when it sold for $165,600; and a snowscape by Fern Isabel Coppedge titled Winter, Bucks County that sold for $127,500 against a presale estimate of $60,000 to $100,000. Three snowy scenes by Redfield saw stellar results as well: New Hope Locks achieved $191,000 against an estimate of $120,000 to $180,000; his 1928 oil First Snow bested its $100,000 low estimate when it sold for $140,200; and Woodland Brook, estimated at $100,000 to $150,000, sold for $114,800.

Clarence Alphonse Gagnon (1881-1942), Sunday Morning, Québec, ca. 1921. Oil on canvas, 28¼ x 36¼ in., signed lower left: ‘Clarence Alphonse Gagnon’. Property from the Family Collection of Dr. Percival Eaton, Jr., Provincetown, Massachusetts. Estimate: $30/50,000 SOLD: $457,700

“The [auction] results underscore not only the resilience of the American market but also the discernment of collectors, who embraced the sale with enthusiasm,” says auction specialist Adam Veil. “As always, we’re proud to have served our clients so successfully.”

Fern Isabel Coppedge (1888-1951), Winter, Bucks County. Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 in., signed lower right: ‘Fern I. Coppedge’. Estimate: $60/100,000 SOLD: $127,500

In addition to the success of Canadian and Pennsylvanian artists in the sale, a number of artists from all across the U.S. garnered enthusiastic bidding as well. Among these are Howard Pyle’s Viewing the Battle of Bunker’s Hill that sold for $181,475; Louis Ritman’s Quiet Afternoon that sold for $171,950; and Wolf Kahn’s Pond on the Farm, which achieved $102,100.

For a full calendar of Freeman’s | Hindman’s upcoming auctions, visit www.hindmanauction.com. —

Top 10 LOTS

Freeman’s | Hindman’s American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionism sale June 8, 2025 (including buyer’s premiums)

Artist Title Low/High ESt. SOLD
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon Sunday Morning, Québec $30/50,000 $457,700
Edward Willis Redfield New Hope Locks $120/180,000 $191,000
Howard Pyle Viewing the Battle of Bunker’s Hill $25/40,000 $181,475
Louis Ritman Quiet Afternoon $60/100,000 $171,950
Daniel Garber In a Wood $100/150,000 $165,600
Edward Willis Redfield First Snow $100/150,000 $140,200
Fern Isabel Coppedge Winter, Bucks County $60/100,000 $127,500
Edward Willis Redfield Woodland Brook $100/150,000 $114,800
Wolf Kahn Pond on the Farm $30/50,000 $102,100
Martha Walter Beach Balloons (A Day at the Beach) $30/50,000 $70,350