12 Terrific Vintage Art Finds + FREE Printable!
[Updated 8.22]
If you’re an art lover, you’re going to love today’s post. You’ll be seeing some amazing vintage art finds that I’ve purchased over the past several months.
Oil Paintings
The colors and composition of this acrylic on board landscape appealed to me (cost: $1), but the frame doesn’t do it any favors.
I’m hanging onto it until the “right” frame comes along for it’s 9″ x 12″ size.
I’m struggling to sell this 11″ x 14″ floral acrylic on canvas because I love it so much (cost $2, value: $40-50).
I’m a huge fan of pink, but at this point in my life, I have abandoned the color as far as home decorating goes. Pink is not my sweet husband’s favorite color and of course I want to him to enjoy his own home, so no pink.
[Note: My estimated value may be a bit high because of my personal prejudice that pink is the BEST color.]
UPDATE: It sold for $25 on Facebook Marketplace
My sweet husband and I just picked up this oil on board painting of a train engine at a terrific estate sale last weekend (cost: $8, value: $25-30).
I don’t think it’s particularly old, but it falls into the “unique” category–being quite large and graphically pleasing.
UPDATE: It sold for $22 from my antique booth.
Prints
Despite the fact that Victorian anything has fallen out of favor, I found it difficult to pass up this large (16″x 20″) rose print in gilt frame (cost: $2, value: $20-30).
I’m hoping its good shape and pretty subject matter will help it sell quickly.
UPDATE: It sold for $34 from my antique booth.
This print of a German scherenschnitte (scissor art) entitled “Liberty & Virtue” is just in time for Memorial Day and other patriotic holidays coming right up (cost: $2.99, value: $35-45).
As much as I am a Jesus-follower, I did not buy this print because of him, but rather for the pretty gold gilt frame. I’d like to clean it up some and put a mirror in it (cost: $3, value: $35-40 with mirror).
Artisan guilds in Florence Italy have produced “Florentine Art” for the tourist trade since the mid-19th century (Wikipedia). Common features of these pieces include gold gilding and classic art reproductions, like you see in this large, 15″ tray, bearing angels from Raphael’s Sistine Chapel (cost: $3, value: $22-25).
This tiny print (2 1/2″ x 4″ unframed), is both charming and fascinating (cost: $1, value: 8-10). Can you read what’s written on his necklace? Horse Acid Phosphate. Interesting, right? It seems to be some sort of protein used in scientific research. That’s all I was able to discover so far.
Posters
This poster is an older copy of a 1897 original (cost: $1, value: $25-30). I’ve been unable to find out much about it.
It seems to be announcing a summer variety show in Milan; its appealing graphics make it desirable. I’d like to find out more before I offer it for sale.
Update: It sold for $25 on Facebook Marketplace.
Signs don’t exactly fall into the “art” category, but we use them so much to decorate with these days, and this one (from a department store, maybe?), is displays an unusual and unexpected word. On the right wall–perhaps a man cave–it could be very cool (cost: $5, value, $20-25).
This piece has me a little stumped. It has a neat, folk art feel, but at the same time, I wonder if it was mass-produced by Christmas Tree Shop (or something like that). For a 50¢ investment, I was willing to bring it home with me and try to figure it out. If I don’t get any more info on it, I would price it in the $18-22 range.
Final Fabulous Find: I found this vintage photograph in an antique shop last weekend when we visited my sweet daughter at college.
We had a few spare moments, so naturally we popped into the nearest purveyor of all things vintage and antique. Would you like a copy of this photo?
I’ve added it to my Free Printables, just for you. Get access to even MORE free printables, price guides, business forms, and more when you SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter.
Thanks so much for enjoying my recent vintage art finds with me. I love art and really have to hold myself back from buying every single piece I find out in the wild.
I’ve never taken the time to count how many pieces of art I currently own (purchased for resale), but I would guess it to be somewhere around 150 or so.
That’s not counting unframed pieces, which could number closer to 500, LOL. Yeah, I guess I might have a small problem…
Another post you might enjoy:
Thanks for stopping by–
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe today
and get a FREE copy of my eBook:
Bye for now,
I’d love it if you’d pin me 🙂
It sort of looks like your sail boat might be tramp art. It was extremely popular after the depression ended. Out of work men went round to sell odd bits they’d made from found stuff. Later on it became highly collectable. I have a little tin box that opens. It’s old and appears to be some of that style. I love the roses, if it doesn’t sell, let me know. That’s the red ones.
Well that would certainly increase its value, wouldn’t it?! Your tin box sounds intriguing–maybe you could post a picture on my Facebook group page–Your Vintage Headquarters? It’s filled with other vintage lovers and is a fun place to post vintage finds and projects.
Regarding the roses print, I don’t tend to sell artwork with glass, particularly pieces as large as this one, since it’s very difficult to protect it well enough to prevent breakage. If you’re local to Albany (NY) though, let me know and we’ll work something out 🙂
Do you have any hints on telling the difference between acrylic and oil, age of the pieces, etc? I love art too and never know how to determine value…
Ooh, that sounds like a good blog post, doesn’t it? Meanwhile, a few things to keep in mind: acrylics have only been around since the 1940’s, so if the artwork seems older than that, it’s likely oil. Oils tend to yellow and crackle with age. Acrylics can have a more translucent appearance than oils, but ease of color blending gives oils more color options. I am by no means an expert but using these tips I can make an educated guess 🙂
As far as value goes the first thing to do is look at the piece critically. How does it compare to “real” art that you may be familiar with either from your own home or museums. Look for balance in the composition–are the items in the painting too close to each other? Too far apart? Is there enough white space? Too much? Look for harmony among the elements, particularly in color.
The question I always ask myself is, “Would I hang it in my own home?” If yes, then chances are it’s a good buy. But if you’re unsure, start out by only buying cheaper pieces and seeing how they sell.
All that said, art is definitely a slower seller for me, but I love it so much, I can’t stop buying it. I have started pricing it lower recently and that seems to be making a difference. Also, smaller pieces seem to sell faster.
Hope that helps, Debbie!
Great information. I would love to learn to identify good art and whether it’s collectible. Also, is there some formula for matching frames to the art? I’m completely lost when I walk into the framing section of my big box store. And what about the trend of not framing paintings on canvas. Am I the only one that feels like there’s just something off when I see that?
I mentioned in another comment response that a lot of the questions I’m getting today about art would make a great blog post, so I’m adding that to my “to do” list 🙂 As far as matching frames to art, I find that I just have to go through my frame stash and hold them over the art I want to frame to get a feel for how they would look together. Of course, the match has to be “right” on several fronts–color, style, and size, for example.
With a few exceptions, I tend to frame art that I both plan to sell or keep for myself, so I guess I tend toward the framing side of things. I think unframed art has a more casual, modern look and therefore looks great in those settings.
Diana, you have a wonderful eye in picking, especially art. I love many of these!
Aww, thanks Rita–so nice of you to say 🙂
Love your art collection. I am an art hoarder, too, with some of it bought for the frame, some for the art or print and all of it loved. However it is in many stacks all around my garage without any order to it. I need to organize and start selling it! Of course, like anything, art is in the eye of the beholder. I love the pink peonies painting, i would put that in a bathroom or guest room. Just because hubby isn’t a pink fan doesn’t mean you can’t hang it and enjoy it if it’s off his beaten path through the house!
Ha ha–something else we have in common, Laura! I can totally relate to a lack of order–I’ve got mine in three locations in the garage, three more in my workroom and three in my office, LOL. It’s pathetic, really.
I’ll have to give the pink peonies a second thought. I don’t think I have any rooms at the moment that could handle their pinkness 🙂
I have a small booth in an antique mall. I love pictures but for the life of me, I cannot sell them in my booth here in Indiana. No one seems to want nice pictures. I have many that I have kept and put them in my own home and enjoy them. Some I end up giving to the thrift store hoping someone else will enjoy them. Blessings and have a great week!
Art work is not my fastest seller, but I’ve found if I price it on the lower, rather than the higher side, it will move. I also find that smaller pieces tend to sell faster than larger pieces. I just pulled a couple of pieces out of my booth that haven’t sold and I’m going to give them a try on Craigslist. I’ll be sure to report back on how that goes 🙂 Take care Sharon!!
So funny, there was town wide sale near me. Guess what I bought!! Yes, a yard long pictures with roses and a really cute picture of a lady with roses. They were only like a dollar each and were so sweet so they came home with me. I did find many great things which usually doesn’t happen at town wides because of all the baby and children clothes. My girlfriend and I call them drive bys. lol
I love the first photo of the roses, too. i wouldn’t mind putting something like that on my wall in the living room! Thank you for sharing what you know.
Lots of fans of the roses, Fonda 🙂 Thanks for popping by and you’re welcome. I’m overdue for a visit to your blog–
Diana, you have a very keen eye for picking out the good art. Love the painting of flowers, and I would hang on to it too! Thank you for sharing it with us.
So kind of you to say, Cynthia! So many hard choices one has to make when one is a dealer 🙂
Diana….I love the 16×20 rose print…I’d love to hang it in my cottage bedroom. It’s gorgeous and the frame also. I know you will sell it quickly. 🙂
I’m so glad you like it, Susan. I’ve gotten a pretty strong response (in favor) of that purchase, so I’m thinking, I’ll bring it up to my shop soon.
I really enjoyed looking at your pictures, especially the little girl at the end; didn’t know if it was a girl or boy till I checked her shoes. My son Patrick (and my mother!) looked very much like that at that age; it was scarey how much Pat looked like my Mom. Good thing those roses are more red than pink; I’d have you packing it up now! I also loved the Jesus picture. When you move back and forth in front of Him, do His eyes follow you? My first husband (very Catholic) had a Bleeding Heart picture in our bedroom; I told the neighbor kids about His eyes and I caught them pacing back and forth at the foot of the bed to see if it was true! Don’t know how the artist’s do it. They were so cute. All of your pictures would be a great addition to a gallery wall; they are so popular right now.
As usual, Diana, a fabulous post! Love the roses, and several of the ornate frames have me drooling. I, also, have a frame collection–you know what I mean–and EMPTY frame collection! I love looking through them when I have a piece I need a frame for. I just love having a “stash” of stuff, much to my daughter’s frustration! Honestly, if she hadn’t been born at home I would think she got switched in the nursery! She just doesn’t get it. It’s like “if you’re not using it currently you must not need it so get rid of it.! Drives me crazy!
I found myself on the salve list so where do I click to check out and pay?
Great finds, Diana. I especially love the first one you shared! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!