W.R.E. Goodrich - Tavern Scene, Does Anyone Have an Idea of the Value?

I have an original oil painting here that has been signed on the back. It is by an artist named "W.R.E. Goodrich." I know very little about this artist myself other than he appears to be from Sheffield, England.

Can anyone tell me a bit more about the artist and painting?

 

I found an identical oil painting by W.R.E. Goodrich. I can't believe he painted 2 identical oil paintings. Both of them having the same *identical* labels on the back and seem to be in identical frames. Is the one I found yours? Is yours under glass?

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/...0108/lot-05398f44-6fe3-4b09-91ef-a62601012207

There are 3 of Goodrich's paintings on the following website. What surprises me is that 2 of them are identical with different titles - "The Musicians" and "Venetian Carnival." Also one appears darker than the other.
http://www.artnet.com/artists/wre-goodrich/past-auction-results

Like you I couldn't find much info on Goodrich other than he lived from 1887-1956.

Edit: According to the following website, in the 1920s Goodrich was part of an artist's colony in Ruskin in Sheffield:

"Through out the 1920s a talented group of artists based themselves at the Rivelin Corn Mill. The inspiration for the artist’s colony was Robert Scott-Temple, a well established Scottish landscape painter in oils...."
http://www.rivelinvalley.org.uk/trail/index.php

--- Susan

 

@Ladybranch Mine will be the one you found, yes. I got given it the other week by a family member who frequents auctions. They thought I may be able to do something with it. The trouble is, I really couldn't find much on Google. He is indeed an obscure artist, and not many people seem to know about him.

 

I found a little more biographical information about Goodrich here. I don't know their source of information:

http://www.antiques-atlas.com/antique/william_goodrich_1887-1956_oil_asters_in_a_vase/as237a547

More information about the artist colony at Rivelin... It gets Goodrich's initials wrong, but is a news story and sometimes those mistakes happen:
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/analysis/artistry-of-the-working-man-1-7323276

 

@Figtree3 @Ladybranch Ah, that is interesting. Thank you. It seems he is well-known in Sheffield.

Is £265/$348/314e a lot for a painting of a vase? I'm not really an expert on the value of paintings.

 

For an obscure artist, there are many of his oils and water colors on the net! I did find his complete name, William Ralph Edwin Goodrich. It seems he studied at the Sheffield Art School and later in Italy.

"Painter and printmaker who studied at Sheffield Art School and in Italy. He subsequently worked as a painter and illustrator in Sheffield."
http://www.artbiogs.co.uk/1/artists/goodrich-william-ralph-e

This site has more on him. It seems he is listed in at least a couple of prestigious British art publications. He exhibited his works at several places including once at the Royal Academy.
http://www.antiques-atlas.com/antique/william_goodrich_1887-1956_oil_asters_in_a_vase/as237a547

--- Susan

 

Oops, Fig beat me on the the antiques-atlas site!

--- Susan

 

Old Oil paintings not usually put under glass, it tends to bloom, also the signature looks as if it's on masking tape. Can you send a picture of the whole back canvas as you can hazard a guess for age from that?

 

@Houseful Did you mean the back of the frame? Because I can't get to the back of the painting since it means taking all of the tape off of the back to get it out, and I am paranoid that I will ruin it by doing so.

 

As others have pointed out, he seems to have been active from the 1920s, up until after WWII. I guess the painting is 70-90 years old.

 

It's just that canvas usually would show, there would be wooden stretchers, it wouldn't normally be covered with a board and taped up with gum strip. Are you sure it's an oil on canvas, have you looked at it with a loupe or magnifying glass?

 

@Houseful That is what I was told by the person that gave it to me.

What would I be looking for when looking at it through a magnifying glass?

 

I thought the same thing about glass. djace, is it definitely under glass? The glare seems to scream glass to me. Like houseful, the lack of it being open in the back with the canvas & stretchers visible also makes me think not oil. Goodrich was also know for watercolors. If this is under glass, it probably a watercolor rather than an oil. If it is an oil, you should be able to see brush strokes.

--- Susan

 

If it's canvas it will have a weave like cloth material. Also the oil paint will be put on in different thicknesses giving different textures over the painting. If it's just a print it will be made up of tiny printed dots and probably not worth much. If it's a watercolour it will sometimes have translucent areas where you may be able to see the paper underneath. You could ask a local gallery if you are still unsure.

 

@Ladybranch It is under glass, yes. If by that you mean glass on the frame, then yes.

From what I can see, it looks like it has brush strokes upon close inspection.

 

@Houseful From what I have seen upon inspection, I'm highly certain it is not a print. It does SEEM like an oil painting to me. Why it's behind glass is anyone's guess. As someone that doesn't know much about paintings, I assumed that was perfectly normal. Maybe the person that framed it did too!

 

By looking at the back it appears to be more of a modern look. I would expect to see more age to the backside. My guess if it was an oil there would be stretchers on the back but yours just has a board which looks not that old.. In my opinion it could be watercolor or print but looking at your first pictures it doesn't have a watercolor look to it. Best way is either to take it out the frame yourself and have a good look at it or take it to local gallery if your unsure about taking it apart yourself. Also it looks to have had a paper backing at one time and was tore off..not sure why.

 

Also curious of why of all the tape around it

 

Nowwww, Goodrich did do some oil paintings on "canvas laid on a board" which might?? explain the lack of stretchers on this picture?? Neither of the following canvas on board is under glass.

A clergyman.
http://www.invaluable.com/auction-l...on-canvas-laid-on-board,-head-58-c-3cef476b10

"Roses"
http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/w-r-e-goodrich-roses-63-c-07b462ec51

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-us/...0029/lot-99b90177-c183-4886-a616-a3f7017af990

--- Susan

 

@Ladybranch Yes, it has been laid on board, and it the canvas is some kind of cloth material. I took it out slightly to have a closer look at it.

It is almost definitely not a print, as I have studied it thoroughly again today and you can clearly see the strokes of the paint brush. I am almost certain this is an original oil painting. The people who put this painting behind glass may have done so out of lack of knowledge.

@Houseful @rink28