Deborah Miller
Contact
Deborah Miller Appraisals LLC
Chicago, IL
Featured Appraisal
Schoolgirl Needlework, ca. 1740
Biography
Deborah Miller is an independent appraiser of historic, vintage and contemporary clothing, accessories and textiles throughout the United States and Canada. She is an accredited senior appraiser with the American Society of Appraisers, with a designation in costume and couture, and also a member of the International Society of Appraisers. She established her appraisal firm in 2008, after 18 years in the art world.
Deborah provides appraisals for non-cash charitable contributions, estate taxes, insurance, probate, divorce, and equitable distribution. Within textiles, clothing and accessories she has an expertise in 20th- and 21st-century fashion, difficult-to-appraise, one-off and unique properties, including those with celebrity association, haute couture, fashion/designer archives, very large collections and rare textiles.
Deborah appraised the personal archive of Charles James, America’s first couturier and the subject of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2014 exhibition Charles James: Beyond Fashion. She has appraised significant private collections of contemporary fiber art, including work by Anni Albers and Sheila Hicks, as well as important historic American and European needlework.
Deborah regularly works with donors to top museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), the Royal Ontario Museum, Drexel University, Cooper-Hewitt/Smithsonian National Design Museum, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Bata Shoe Museum.
Deborah has a BA in art history from Hamilton College and an MA in the history of decorative arts from the Bard Graduate Center (BGC). She established her appraisal firm in 2008, after 18 years in the art world.
Deborah is a former Peace Corp Volunteer and served in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, where she taught English and also worked with Mandinka weavers. She has been an avid competitive rower for 35 years and lives in Chicago with her family.
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is an antiques appraisal event and television production; we do not buy or sell objects, and conducting any business with an appraiser at the ANTIQUES ROADSHOW event is strictly forbidden.
If you decide to do business with an appraiser who has appeared on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, please keep in mind these tips before consigning or selling an item:
-Get more than one referral and check references
-Get valuations of your item from more than once source
-Compare options between different types of sellers, i.e., a dealer versus an auction house
-If you are considering consigning an object for auction, be sure to inquire how the item will be priced, the size of the fee, and the expected amount of time the process may take. Find out what will happen if it doesn't sell.
-Check the appraiser's professional associations (such as International Society of Appraisers, American Appraisers Association, National Auctioneers Association)
-Consult an attorney before signing a contract
-Whatever kind of transaction you decide to enter into, always get a detailed written receipt for your records
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW’s pool of experts are professionals with a wide range of experience in the antiques, fine art and collectibles community, and they are from a diverse background of auctioneers, dealers and appraisers.
All ROADSHOW appraisers are independent volunteers who donate their time and expertise to PBS and who pay their own expenses to be on the show. All business transactions are independent from ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Recent Appraisals
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1948 Gilbert Adrian Silk Taffeta Gown
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1959 JFK’s Boxer Shorts with Signed Photo
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Cotton Printed Women's Dress, ca. 1798
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