Carl van Vechten (1880–1964)
What is Carl van Vechten’s work worth?
As of 2 November 2026, OpeningBid has recorded 90 auction results for Carl van Vechten at 15 houses since 1992. Over the last 24 months the median price was $925 including buyer’s premium (middle half $564–$1,111, n=14). The auction record is $7,071 for The Tattooed Countess (2025, Christie's). Source: OpeningBid, an independent auction-results database.
| # | Work | Medium | Price | House | Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Tattooed Countess, 1880 | . Van Vechten was one of the most influential cultural impresarios of the early twentieth century in New York; a patron of the Harlem Renaissance, a photographer who captured the era's icons, and a novelist who created some of the Jazz Age's most salacious stories. He was a close confidant of Langston Hughes, Gertrude Stein, George Gershwin, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the Knopfs. He frequented Harlem's jazz clubs, and Greenwich Village's underground gay scene. His novels contained thinly veiled portraits of the era's leading bohemians. Van Vechten photographed Gershwin on several occasions. His inscription was an early and insightful recognition of Gershwin’s great genius | $7,071 | Christie's | Feb 2025 |
| 2 | Group of 86 photographs of the 1939 World's Fair, 1939 | Silver prints | $6,500 | Swann Auction Galleries | Oct 2014 |
| 3 | Portrait of Man Ray, Paris, 1934, 1880 | Cartes-de-visite | $6,250 | Christie's | Oct 2019 |
| 4 | Truman Capote, 1978 | Gelatin silver print | $6,250 | Sotheby's | Jun 2019 |
| 5 | Man Ray, 1934 | Cartes-de-visite | $6,096 | Phillips | Apr 2023 |
| 6 | Gertrude Stein, New York, 1935, 1935 | Gelatin silver print | $5,100 | Bonhams | Feb 2023 |
| 7 | Portrait of Cecil Beaton, 1880 | Cartes-de-visite | $5,000 | Christie's | Oct 2019 |
| 8 | Portrait du peintre et écrivain Brion Gysin, Tanger, 1957, 1957 | Titré, daté avec tampon du photographe (au dos) | $4,201 | Sotheby's | Mar 2021 |
| 9 | Two nude figures, seated (Hugh Laing and Allen Meadows), 1940s | Silver print | $3,750 | Swann Auction Galleries | Aug 2021 |
| # | Work | Medium | Price | House | Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VAN VECHTEN, CARL, 1934-1942 | Silver prints | $4,400 | Swann Auction Galleries | Apr 2002 |
| Medium | Sales | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Works on paper | 5 | $1,375 |
| Photographs | 64 | $1,016 |
| Other | 9 | $812 |
| Size | Sales | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Small (under 50 cm) | 75 | $1,040 |
Data as of 2 November 2026 · Source: OpeningBid, 90 results from 15 houses · How we compute these figures
Carl van Vechten is an American artist with 147 auction lots recorded since 1992, median price $924. Some sold prices are hammer-only and exclude the buyer's premium; they are marked on this page. Some sold prices are not yet verified as premium-inclusive or hammer, and are marked on this page.
A work by Carl van Vechten sold in 2026 for $1,143, according to OpeningBid's index of auction results.
See the full Carl van Vechten record on OpeningBid — images, provenance, fair estimates and free sale alerts.
View Carl van Vechten on OpeningBid →What is a Carl van Vechten work worth?
Across 90 sold lots tracked by OpeningBid, the median price of a Carl van Vechten work is $924.
The median Carl van Vechten photograph sells for $924 across 80 lots.
The median Carl van Vechten print sells for $1,143 across 1 lots.
The median Carl van Vechten work on paper sells for $1,625 across 1 lots.
Small (under 50 cm) Carl van Vechten photographs typically sell for $522–$1,973 (the middle half of 78 sold lots).
Prices are premium-inclusive where the house records them; hammer-only prices exclude the buyer's premium, and some prices are not yet basis-verified.
Price breakdown by category
| Category | Lots tracked | Median price | Record price | Sell-through | Last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prints & Editions | 2 | $1,143 | $1,143 | 50% | 2026-10-15 |
| Works on Paper | 1 | $1,625 | $1,625 | — | 2019-06-27 |
| Photography | 99 | $924† | $6,500 | 80.8% | 2026-07-30 |
| Masterpieces (top of market) | 5 | $6,250 | $7,071 | — | 2025-02-13 |
† hammer price — buyer's premium not included.
Price by size
Photography
| Size | Sold lots | Typical range (p25–p75) | Median | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| small (under 50 cm) | 78 | $522–$1,973† | $980† | $6,500 |
† hammer price — buyer's premium not included.
Size is the work's longest edge. Cells appear only with at least 5 sold lots.
Notable results
| Medium | Year | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Photography | 2014 | $6,500 |
| Photography | 2019 | $6,250 |
| Works on Paper | 2019 | $1,625 |
| Prints & Editions | 2026 | $1,143 |
The highest recorded result in each medium. See the full sale history on OpeningBid.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Carl van Vechten worth?
Across 90 sold lots tracked by OpeningBid, the median price of a Carl van Vechten work is $924. The median Carl van Vechten photograph sells for $924 across 80 lots. The median Carl van Vechten print sells for $1,143 across 1 lots. The median Carl van Vechten work on paper sells for $1,625 across 1 lots. Small (under 50 cm) Carl van Vechten photographs typically sell for $522–$1,973 (the middle half of 78 sold lots). Prices are premium-inclusive where the house records them; hammer-only prices exclude the buyer's premium, and some prices are not yet basis-verified.
What is the average price of a Carl van Vechten photograph?
Based on 80 sold lots tracked by OpeningBid, the median auction price of a Carl van Vechten photograph is $924. Some prices are hammer-only and exclude the buyer's premium.
What is Carl van Vechten's most expensive photograph?
The highest price recorded at auction for a Carl van Vechten photograph is $6,500.
What is the average price of a small Carl van Vechten photograph?
Based on 78 sold lots, the median auction price of a small Carl van Vechten photograph (small (under 50 cm)) is $980, according to OpeningBid's index of auction results. Some prices are hammer-only and exclude the buyer's premium.
What is Carl van Vechten's auction record?
Carl van Vechten's auction record is $7,071, set in 2025.
See the full Carl van Vechten record on OpeningBid — images, provenance, fair estimates and free sale alerts.
View Carl van Vechten on OpeningBid →