Mike Disfarmer Portraits, ca. 1940
GUEST: These photographs that we brought today are some photographs that we inherited. Our great uncle, he had these photos made of his daughters, Iola and Picola. We knew who the-- found out who the photographer was from a newspaper article that was located with the pictures that said that his name was Mike Disfarmer and it had a copy of that photo.
APPRAISER: Of this one?
GUEST: So we knew--of the first one there--of them in their prom dresses. And so we received other photos along with the same packet. And we were just wondering if any of the other photos were Mike Disfarmer's photos also.
APPRAISER: Mike Disfarmer was actually born in Indiana. And he never really felt like he was part of his family. They were farmers. He didn't want anything to do with that profession. He just always felt like he was an outsider. When he was able to, he moved to Heber Springs, Arkansas, and he wanted to start a photo studio there. People understood him to be very eccentric and someone who was very standoffish and just had a weird demeanor about him.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: In addition to that, when he died, he had no will. So all of those negatives from his studio were left to just rot. And it wasn't until several decades later that those negatives were purchased. And people began to find out about who this photographer was, this mysterious photographer who just appeared in this small town...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:...and created over 3,000 glass plate negatives of the inhabitants. What happened was that people were making posthumous prints from his
glass plate negatives. So there are photographs that exist, that show up on the market, that are actually later prints. But what's much less seen are these vintage prints. This one here is one of my top ten of his images. I think it is so charming, and this is one that you can actually buy later prints from.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: But I have never seen a vintage print of it.
GUEST: Great.
APPRAISER: Who is this here in this photo?
GUEST: Now, both of those, I believe, are younger photos of the girls.
APPRAISER: I definitely think this is one of his photographs, mostly because it has this very strong black stripe behind her. And that is very telltale for his studio. And then the child in the center. The reason why I know it's by Mike Disfarmer is what's on the back. It's the Meyer Studio. He changed his name.
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: He was born Mike Meyer.
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: And he wanted to really distance himself from his family after his mother died in 1930. So he changed his name from Mike Meyer to Mike Disfarmer, which he thought literally meant "not a farmer.” In auction, I'd be mostly thinking about the value of this print, which is the most well-known image, and I would put an estimate of $8,000 to $12,000 on the group.
GUEST: Wow! (chuckles) Super--$8,000 to $12,000?
APPRAISER: $8,000 to $12,000.
GUEST: Wow, that's astounding. (both laugh) For something--
APPRAISER: Much more than you thought?
GUEST: Yes, and something that was just passed down.
APPRAISER: Somebody should have been taping her.
GUEST: I was looking at my sister's face when she said $8,000 to $12,000, and I go...(gasps, laughs)
$8,000 - $12,000 Auction
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Understanding Our Appraisals
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
