Hi Clif,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

The Archives of American Art's online artist database identifies Anthony J. Cooper (American, 1907-1992) as a Chicago-based painter who primarily painted city landscapes and urban genre scenes, though there appears to be comparatively little biographical information readily available about him online, so the paper you have provides a great deal of information to fill in some of those gaps.

Based on that, Cooper studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and participated at several exhibitions there. He also showed at the Union League, the Corcoran Gallery, the National Academy of Design, Balzekas Museum, the Ciulionis Gallery, the Illinois State Fair, the Baptist Graduate Student Center and a couple of different places in Springfield, Illinois.

He received the Art Institute of Chicago's William B. French fellowship and an award from the Municipal Art League. His works are in the collections of the Illinois State Museum, Balzekas Museum, Ciurlionis Gallery, Standard Federal Savings & Loan, National Boulevard Bank as well as other private collections.

Your painting is characteristic of his Impressionistic style but his surviving portraits have rarely come to auction and appear - from the estimates of those that have been offered at auction - to generally bring less than his landscapes and genre views.

If this were to come to auction, an estimate of $300-500 would be in line with what other portraits of his have carried at auction.

Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

Anthony J. Cooper (American, 1907-1992)
Untitled (Portrait of a Woman Playing the Piano)
oil on canvas
signed
50 x 37 inches
CONDITION: this appears to be in good condition
PROVENANCE: unknown
$ 300-500*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia