Are desert scenes the only Frost subjects collectors want?

No. His desert views are among his best known, but his Sierra landscapes, San Gabriel Valley scenes, canyon views, village scenes and later sporting subjects all have collectors. Each painting is judged on its own quality.

Could my painting be by his father, A. B. Frost?

A. B. Frost was best known as an illustrator, while John Frost was a landscape painter, but the shared surname can cause confusion. Photograph the signature closely and send it with your other photographs.

Is a small sketch of interest?

Yes. Send photographs and measurements. Small works are judged differently from finished canvases, but they are collected.

How can I tell an original from a print?

A photograph of the surface taken at an angle under strong light usually shows brushwork. Some of his sporting subjects were published as prints, so this matters. Send that photograph with the others.

A guide for owners

How much is a John Frost painting worth?

John Frost's California career lasted less than two decades and was interrupted by illness, so his paintings are not plentiful. What kind of Frost you own, and where and when it was painted, is the first question in judging its value.

John Frost (1890–1937) was born in Philadelphia, the son of the illustrator A. B. Frost. He trained with his father and in Paris, fought tuberculosis in a Swiss sanatorium, and by about 1919 had settled in Pasadena, where he painted the California desert, the Sierra Nevada and the San Gabriel Valley.

What decides the value of a John Frost

Subject

The desert. Views of the Mojave Desert, Palm Springs and the country below San Jacinto, often with snow-capped peaks, are among his best-known subjects.
The Sierra Nevada, often in pale, delicate color.
The San Gabriel Valley around Pasadena: foothills, oaks, canyons and spring wildflowers.
Village and sporting scenes, which are less typical of his work.

Size and medium

Frost painted on canvas and on board, from small sketches to large canvases. Size, support and finish are judged together. Measure the painting itself, not the frame, and note whether it is on canvas, board or paper.

Period

Many of his best-known California landscapes date from the 1920s, after he settled in Pasadena. Illness slowed his painting in his last years. An inscription, date, place name or label helps place a painting.

Condition

Check for flaking, tears, relining, overpaint and darkened or yellowed varnish, which can dull the pale, luminous color that is central to a Frost. Leave any treatment to a conservator, after advice.

Labels and provenance

Gallery and exhibition labels, inscriptions on the stretcher or backing, letters and family records all strengthen a painting's history. Frost exhibited with the California Art Club and at Los Angeles galleries, so old labels are worth photographing. Photograph the whole back.

Signature and authenticity

Signature, technique, materials and documented history are weighed together. Steven Stern Fine Arts can usually say from photographs whether a painting merits closer study.

Why we don't publish prices

Steven Stern Fine Arts does not post prices for John Frost, and this page deliberately contains none. Any number given before the painting has been seen would be a guess, and a guess can lead an owner to sell for too little or to hold out for a figure no buyer will pay. Every Frost is judged on its own merits, once we have photographs, measurements and whatever you know of its history.

Having your Frost evaluated

Everything needed for a confidential evaluation can be done at home:

clear photographs of the front, the back and the signature, plus close-ups of any labels or inscriptions;
the size of the painting itself, not the frame, and the support (canvas, board or paper);
a short note on the painting's history: where it came from, who owned it, and any paperwork.

Send these through the seller inquiry form or to StevenSternFineArts@gmail.com. If you would rather talk first, call Steven Stern Fine Arts at (310) 570-5679. The gallery's John Frost paintings show the range of work it has handled.

Your options for selling a Frost

Owners usually choose one of three routes with the gallery. Steven Stern Fine Arts can buy the painting outright, which is quick and private. It can take the painting on consignment and offer it to collectors it already knows, paying you when it sells. Or, for an important painting or a whole estate, it can arrange a private sale and advise you along the way. Your name, the buyer's name and the price stay confidential.

Common questions

Are desert scenes the only Frost subjects collectors want?: No. His desert views are among his best known, but his Sierra landscapes, San Gabriel Valley scenes, canyon views, village scenes and later sporting subjects all have collectors. Each painting is judged on its own quality.
Could my painting be by his father, A. B. Frost?: A. B. Frost was best known as an illustrator, while John Frost was a landscape painter, but the shared surname can cause confusion. Photograph the signature closely and send it with your other photographs.
Is a small sketch of interest?: Yes. Send photographs and measurements. Small works are judged differently from finished canvases, but they are collected.
How can I tell an original from a print?: A photograph of the surface taken at an angle under strong light usually shows brushwork. Some of his sporting subjects were published as prints, so this matters. Send that photograph with the others.

More answers for owners are on the John Frost seller FAQ. For Frost's life and career, read the John Frost biography.

Sources

Written for this site by Steven Stern Fine Arts. Facts about the artist were checked against the sources below; nothing here is a valuation of any particular painting.

Edan Milton Hughes, Artists in California, 1786–1940, 3rd ed. (Sacramento: Crocker Art Museum, 2002), entry for John Frost, as reproduced on the George Stern Fine Arts page for the artist. store.sternfinearts.com (accessed November 2026).
Phil Kovinick, John Frost: A Quiet Mastery (Irvine, CA: The Irvine Museum), publisher's description. irvinemuseum.org (accessed November 2026).
Elaine Adams, "How the San Gabriel Valley Inspired California Impressionism and Lured Artists from Across the Nation," California Art Club Newsletter. PDF (accessed November 2026).
Wikipedia, "A. B. Frost." en.wikipedia.org (accessed November 2026).
Crocker Art Museum, John Frost, Mojave Desert, 1919, gift of John and Patricia Dilks, 2013.90. crockerart.org (accessed November 2026).
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, John Frost, Palm Springs Landscape with Shack, 1925, 88.21. huntington.emuseum.com (accessed November 2026).
Jonathan Art Foundation, "John Frost," including Tahquitz Canyon, 1927. jonathanart.org (accessed November 2026).
Wikidata, "John Frost" (Q52146374), with Getty Union List of Artist Names, VIAF and Library of Congress authority links. wikidata.org (accessed November 2026).
Steven Stern Fine Arts, John Frost paintings sold (titles, dates, media and sizes as catalogued on californiapaintings.com).