Although California is in the title, John Moran Auctioneers’ California & American Fine Art sale featured artwork around the country, from the Pacific to the Atlantic and everything in between. The November 18 sale realized $742,000 with an 82 percent sell-through rate.
Alson Skinner Clark (1876-1949), The Coffee House (View of the State Street Bridge, Chicago), 1915. Oil on canvas, 34¾ x 46 in. Estimate: $20/30,000 SOLD: $82,550
The top lot was Alson Skinner Clark’s 1915 oil The Coffee House (View of the State Street Bridge, Chicago), which nearly tripled its high estimate of $30,000 when it sold for $82,000. Prior to the sale, the auction house was anticipating high interest in the work. “It’s a beautiful work from a great time by the artist,” said Katherine Halligan, the director of fine art at John Moran Auctioneers. Not only did the piece see high bidding, but also sustained bidding that helped carry it over $80,000.
Birger Sandzén (1871-1954), Snow and Sunshine - Rocky Mountain National Park, 1923. Oil on canvas, 20 x 30 in. Estimate: $30/50,000 SOLD: $44,450
Fred Grayson Sayre (1879-1939), Verbena Time on the Desert. Oil on canvas, 40 x 50 in. Estimate: $3/5,000 SOLD: $20,320
Another top lot was Birger Sandzén’s 1923 oil Snow and Sunshine - Rocky Mountain National Park. Sandzén’s works are frequent auction highlights, and this one was no exception. It was estimated at $30,000 to $50,000, and it fell within those numbers when it sold for $44,000. Like Sandzén, Thomas Hill also painted a national park. His oil Yosemite Valley (est. $12/18,000) sold for $12,000. The piece is undated, so it’s possible it was painted prior to Yosemite’s naming as a national park in 1890.
Frank William Cuprien (1871-1948), The Sunset Hour. Oil on canvas, 11¾ x 18 in. Estimate: $3/5,000 SOLD: $13,970
The sale featured several lots that were estimated under $10,000 but broke free from those estimates in a large way. Consider Fred Grayson Sayre’s Verbena Time on the Desert, estimated at $3,000 to $5,000. The lot finished at $20,000, four times over the high estimate. Another lot is Frank William Cuprien’s The Sunset Hour, which sold for $14,000, nearly three times over its $5,000 high estimate.
Other artists in the top 10 include Hanson Duvall Puthuff, Elmer Wachtel, Millard Sheets and Edgar Payne, whose works of California are cherished all around the country. —
Top 10 LOTS
John Moran Auctioneers, November 18, 2025 (including buyer’s premium)
Artist Title Low/High ESt. SOLD
Alson Skinner Clark The Coffee House $20/30,000 $82,550
Birger Sandzén Snow and Sunshine $30/50,000 $44,450
Fred Grayson Sayre Verbena Time on the Desert $3/5,000 $20,320
Frank William Cuprien The Sunset Hour $3/5,000 $13,970
Thomas Hill Yosemite Valley $12/18,000 $12,700
Hanson Duvall Puthuff Trees in a rolling hills landscape $15/20,000 $12,700
Elmer Wachtel Convict Lake $10/15,000 $12,700
Edgar Payne Mammoth Lake Country, Sierra $7/9,000 $12,700
Millard Sheets Michoacan $7/10,000 $11,430
Ovanes Berberian View to Pacific $3/5,000 $10,795
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