GUEST: I inherited it from my father. My sister and I got to choose which paintings we wanted, and I chose this one.
APPRAISER: Do you know how your father acquired the painting?
GUEST: He started collecting paintings when he was quite young-- well, in his 30s, I believe. And he had several paintings. So this is just one of them. Probably, I would say, he might have bought it in the '40s.
APPRAISER: Do you have any idea what your father might have paid for this painting?
GUEST: I haven't the slightest idea.
APPRAISER: It's a beautiful landscape by Elmer Wachtel, who was a California Impressionist.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: One of the most notable California Impressionist painters. He was born in 1864 in Baltimore...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And then grew up on a farm in Illinois. He moved to California for a bit before he went to formal art training.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: But a fun fact: when he was in California, he taught himself how to play the violin...
GUEST: Oh!
APPRAISER: And ultimately became the first chair at the L.A. Philharmonic. So, uh, he was a multitalented artist. He then went to study under William Merritt Chase for a bit, and then at a school in London where he trained, ultimately moving back to California, where he painted landscapes.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: He met his wife in 1904, so he was about 40 when he met his wife...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: Marion Wachtel-- uh, Marion Kavanaugh at the time.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: She was also an artist.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And they traveled around California. Uh, they specially equipped a car with easels, and, and painted in the plein air style.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: This was most likely done during that time period.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: Around 1910 or 1915.
GUEST: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: It's an oil painting on canvas board, and it's signed lower left with his stylized signature...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: After, uh, his last name.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: The painting is in wonderful condition, by the way.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: Have you had it restored?
GUEST: I have had it cleaned, I think when I first inherited it.
APPRAISER: Have you had it appraised?
GUEST: Uh, several years ago, we did. The gentleman said that he thought it was about $17,000. And... But I don't know if it's gone up or gone down from then. But I was just curious to find out.
APPRAISER: Well, California Impressionism has retained its value.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: So it's a... There's still a very strong market for paintings like this. And I would say currently, at auction, you could conceivably expect to get $35,000 to $45,000.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: So an insurance value, based on that, could be somewhere in that $70,000 range.
GUEST: Okay, okay. Wow, that's-- I'm impressed.
APPRAISER: Good.
GUEST: I'm very happy.
APPRAISER: Good.
