Emotional Antiques Roadshow Appraisal: "Grandmother’s Print" Revealed as $300,000 Masterpiece

A woman bursts into tears on Antiques Roadshow after discovering her grandmother's "print"—which she once opened to remove a mosquito—is a $300,000 Henry Farny original.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 6, 2026, 8:50 AM EDT

Source: LADbible

The "Mosquito Incident"

The guest shared a humorous yet harrowing backstory regarding the painting’s condition. Years prior, after inheriting the piece, she noticed a rogue mosquito trapped underneath the glass.

"I took it out to the front yard, and I opened it up to get the mosquito out, so I could take it with me to college," she told the appraiser. "And then it kind of scared me a little... I closed it back up immediately, because it looked like it might be real."

Hilferty reassured the visibly shaken guest that while removing insects from fine art should generally be left to a conservator, her DIY intervention likely saved the piece. A decaying insect can cause permanent staining or acidity damage to the delicate gouache and paper over time.

Identifying a Henry Farny Original

Henry Francois Farny (1847–1916) was a French-born American painter and illustrator famous for his tranquil, non-confrontational depictions of Native American life. Hilferty noted several factors that contributed to this specific painting’s high valuation: