In 1838, Samuel L. Gerry for the first time put a number of his works up for auction. Many of the paintings were landscape scenes of the White Mountains. In the years that followed, auctions, either featuring Gerry’s work alone or held in conjunction with the sale of other artists’ work, became the primary means of selling his paintings.

Although Gerry worked with several auction houses, his largest sales events were organized by Williams and Everett, one of Boston’s most prestigious dealers in European and American art. Each time, Gerry offered a large collection of his works, filling the second-floor exhibition hall at Williams and Everett’s Fine Art Rooms. Given Gerry’s prolific output, he sometimes had paintings on display at different auction houses simultaneously. As was typical of the time, some of his other paintings were sold through studio receptions and art association exhibitions, as well as by commissions.