Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
| Laffan, William M. |  printer-friendly view |
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| type | Collector | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| dates | 1848-1909 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| city | Lawrence, L.I. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| state | NY | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| other cities | Dublin, Ireland; San Francisco, CA; Baltimore, MD; New York; | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| gender | M | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| history |
William Mackay Laffan was and connoisseur, collector, the publisher and principle owner of the New York Sun, vice president of the Lanston Monotype Company, and served on the board of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Laffan collected art when he traveled and for his job he frequented Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Greece, Egypt, the West Indies, Central American and North America. He was an authority on Oriental Ceramics as well as Egyptian, classical art and primitive paintings. While building his own collection Laffan advised collectors such as C A Daly, J P Morgan, and W T Walters. Laffan married Georginia Tompkins Radcliffe in 1872; she was the daughter of Judge Daniel Radcliffe of Washington, DC. Laffan was a member of the Union, New York Yacht, Racquet and Tennis, the Rockaway Hunt, and Midday Clubs in New York and the Art Club of London and Chicago’s Chicago Club. Laffan’s sale was held in January 1911, and included "The Laughing Girl," by Sir Joshua Reynolds, and "Charles I. on Horseback," by Thomas Gainsborough. |
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| decades | 1880-1890 1890-1900 1900-1910 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| updated | 12/20/2012 06:10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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