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Dr. Joseph Klapp
Art Institute of Chicago
Museum

Dr. Joseph Klapp

1814
Thomas Sully visual detail
ArtistThomas Sully
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Market Intelligence

Observed sale facts, comparable evidence, artist index history and modeled research remain separate.

Public evidence
Last known price $12,000 Dealer sale · May 1, 1950
+380.0% vs previous observed sale
Matched price history · normalized USD · Foundry provisional
1950 · $2,5001950 · $12,000
$3K1950
$12K1950
Last known price$12,0002 matched observed sales
Observed median$7,250
Observed sales2
Artist index312.7
1950-05-01Dealer sale$12,000.00
1950-04-10Dealer purchase$2,500.00
Artist index contextLatest public build 312.7 · base 100 · n=1.Artist-level context is not an artwork valuation.

Comparable Sales

Same-artist public sales ranked by medium, creation year, dimensions and sale recency.

Evidence ranked
ArtworkSale dateHouseRealized USDMatch
Mrs. Klapp (Anna Milnor)
1814 · Oil on canvas
1950-05-01—$12,000.0090%
Mrs. Klapp (Anna Milnor)
1814 · Oil on canvas
1950-04-10—$2,500.0090%
Portrait of Robert Erwin Gray
1811 · Oil on canvas
1944-01-25—$11,000.0087%
Portrait of Robert Erwin Gray
1811 · Oil on canvas
1943-12-04—$2,500.0087%
Alfred Sully
Year n/a · oil on panel
1955-03-01—$7,817.5037%
Alfred Sully
Year n/a · oil on panel
1952-01-01—$9,140.0037%

Similarity score is descriptive evidence ranking, not a valuation model. Every row comes from the public-rights market boundary.

Provenance

Public
Commissioned from the artist by the sitter (1783–1843), Philadelphia, PA, along with a portrait of his wife, Mrs. Anna Klapp (born Milnor, 1783–1841) (1950.1362), begun June 1, 1814, and delivered September 23, 1814 [Thomas Sully papers, 1792–1871, reel N

Commissioned from the artist by the sitter (1783–1843), Philadelphia, PA, along with a portrait of h...

by descent to his son Dr. William Henry Klapp (1817–1855), 1843

by descent to his son Dr. William Henry Klapp (1817–1855), 1843

by descent to his son Dr. William H. Klapp (1849 or 1850–1924), Philadelphia, PA

by descent to his son Dr. William H. Klapp (1849 or 1850–1924), Philadelphia, PA

by descent to his nephew Langdon Williams (1861 or 1862–1949), Philadelphia, PA, and Brookline, MA, by 1924. Richard C. Morrison, Concord, MA, by 1950

by descent to his nephew Langdon Williams (1861 or 1862–1949), Philadelphia, PA, and Brookline, MA,...

sold to M. Knoedler and Co., New York, 1950

sold to M. Knoedler and Co., New York, 1950

sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1950.

sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1950.

Source provenance text

Commissioned from the artist by the sitter (1783–1843), Philadelphia, PA, along with a portrait of his wife, Mrs. Anna Klapp (born Milnor, 1783–1841) (1950.1362), begun June 1, 1814, and delivered September 23, 1814 [Thomas Sully papers, 1792–1871, reel N18, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, copies in curatorial object file]; by descent to his son Dr. William Henry Klapp (1817–1855), 1843; by descent to his son Dr. William H. Klapp (1849 or 1850–1924), Philadelphia, PA; by descent to his nephew Langdon Williams (1861 or 1862–1949), Philadelphia, PA, and Brookline, MA, by 1924. Richard C. Morrison, Concord, MA, by 1950; sold to M. Knoedler and Co., New York, 1950; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1950.

Art Institute of Chicagoconfidence 100%

Exhibitions

Public
Source exhibition text

New York, C.W. Lyon Galleries, Important Examples of American Old Masters, ill. as Portrait of Dr. Joseph Klapp of Philadelphia (New York,1950), n. pag., ill. Art Institute of Chicago, Two Centuries of American Art, 1750-1950, Oct. 1, 1959–Jan. 10, 1960, no cat. [downloadable checklist available].

Art Institute of Chicagoconfidence 100%
Related public works

Catalog neighbours

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Sourced Overview Evidence

<p>Over the course of his 70-year career, Thomas Sully painted more than two thousand portraits, including <em>Dr. Joseph Klapp</em> and <a href="https://www.artic.edu/artworks/72375/mrs-klapp-anna-milnor"><em>Mrs. Klapp (Anna Milnor)</em></a> (1950.1362). Joseph Klapp was born and raised in Albany, New York, but studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and settled in Philadelphia. In the portrait, Klapp rests his elbow on a medical text, indicating his profession. The books lining the background of the painting also speak to the sitter’s intellectual prowess. The image of Mrs. Klapp, painted in a harmoniously limited color scheme, emphasizes her beauty. Together, the portraits present an image of a sophisticated couple that celebrates their prosperity, intelligence, and taste.</p>

Art Institute of Chicagoconfidence 100%

Evidence state

2 observed sales · 6 comparable sales · 6 structured provenance events · 3 structured exhibitions.

Short DescriptionProvenance TextExhibition HistoryCredit LinePlace Of Origin