Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Archives related to: Schiff, Mortimer L.

titleJacques Seligmann & Co. records, 1904-1978 (bulk 1913-1974)
repositoryArchives of American Art
descriptionThe records of art gallery Jacques Seligmann & Co., Inc., include extensive gallery correspondence files, reference files on American and European collectors and their collections, gallery inventory and stock records, financial records, exhibition files, auction files, and the records of subsidiary companies, including de Hauke & Co., (later Modern Paintings, Inc.), and Gersel Corporation (records for firms Tessa Corp. and Georges Haardt & Co. are not found). Included within the collection are Germain Seligman's personal correspondence, writings, and records relating to his private art collection. The records primarily document the gallery's business after becoming established in New York under the direction of Germain Seligman, but also include records of the Paris office, providing a comprehensive view of the activities and transactions of collectors and art dealers in the years leading up to and following World War II.

The largest series, Correspondence (80 ft.), includes general correspondence of Jacques Seligmann & Co., Inc., primarily when Germain Seligman directed the firm and the New York office. Correspondents include U.S. and European clients, artists, collectors, museums, dealers, galleries, shippers, U.S. and foreign government agents, bankers, and insurance firms. Also found are personal correspondence of Germain Seligman; legal correspondence and other documentation concerning specific and general legal affairs (including attempts to recover Seligmann family and gallery artwork stolen in Paris during WWII); abstracts of letters sent; a small group of outgoing correspondence; correspondence of staff and agents Theresa D. Parker, Clyfford Trevor, and Rolf Hans Waegen; and inter-office memoranda.

Series 2, Collector's Files (35 linear ft.), document the firm's extensive system of tracking important clients and collectors in the art world. Files contain descriptions or artwork, sale prices, locations, and photographs of work owned by individuals as well as major American and European museums. Included in this series are files documenting the firm's involvement with the Duc d'Arenberg Collection, the Clarence H. Mackay Collection, Mortimer L. Schiff Collection, and the Prince of Liechtenstein Collection; and additional files and notebooks relating to collectors and collections.

Auction and Exhibition Files trace the sales and exhibition activities undertaken by the firm. Reference Files includes a card catalog to books and catalogs in the firm's library, and a photograph reference index to works.
Financial Files and Shipping Records consists primarily of records of the New York office, and includes purchase receipt files, credit notes, invoices, consignment invoices and books, invoices, consular invoices, sales and purchase account books, ledgers, and tax records.

The De Hauke & Co. Inc. records, 1925-1949, contain records of the firm's largest subsidiary. Included are correspondence, administrative and legal files, and financial records. The records of the firm established to incorporate most of de Hauke & Co.'s stock, Modern Paintings, Inc., include legal and financial files.

Germain Seligman's Personal Papers series includes scattered family and biographical material; research and writing files for his books, Roger de La Fresnaye, with a Catalogue Raisonne (1969), Merchants of Art, 1880-1960: Eighty Years of Professional Collecting (1961), The Drawings of Georges Seurat (1947), and Oh! Fickle Taste; or, Objectivity in Art (1952), and other writings and articles, including those co-authored with his wife, Ethlyne J. Seligman; documentation on his personal art collection, photographs of family members, and the Paris gallery.
extent203 linear ft.
formatsCorrespondence Financial Records Inventories Photographs Notes
accessUse of original papers requires an appointment
record linkhttps://www.aaa.si.edu/files/resources/finding-aids/pdf/jacqself.pdf
record sourcehttp://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/jacques-seligmann--co-records-9936
finding aidPublished finding aid available (279 p.): Finding Aid to the Records of Jacques Seligmann & Co., 1904-1978. Electronic finding aid available at http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/findingaids/jacqselc.htm
acquisition informationDonated 1978-1979 by Mrs. Germain Seligman, daughter-in-law of Jacques Seligmann. Additional material was acquired in 1994 through the Estate of Mrs. Seligman. The Paris archives of Jacques Seligmann & Co., Inc., were destroyed by the Seligmann staff in 1940 to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Nazis.
updated03/16/2023 10:29:59
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titleLehman Brothers. Records, 1868-1986 (inclusive)
repositoryHistorical Collections, Baker Library
descriptionExecutive records, personal papers, correspondence, photographs, and mementos comprise a smaller but significant portion of the Lehman Brothers Inc. Collection.

These records are of historical interest but are not comprehensive. For the most part, the collection remains organized as it was originally by major Lehman Brothers figures such as Robert Lehman, the Kahn family, the Warburg family, and John Schiff. These papers deal with both business and personal matters, and include newspaper clippings, information about Robert Lehman's art collection, and correspondence among Lehman executives. The collection also includes a selection of papers from Lehman Brothers' clients, showing how they did business.

Biographical and Historical Note
The investment banking firm Lehman Brothers was founded as a cotton brokerage in Alabama in 1850. Lehman Brothers quickly evolved from a general merchandising business into a commodities brokerage, eventually becoming a merchant banking firm offering sizable securities trading and financial advisory services. In 1977, Lehman Brothers, Inc. merged with Kuhn, Loeb & Company, another noted investment banking firm. The merged company was called Lehman Brothers, Kuhn, Loeb.
extent204 linear ft. (157 v., 370 boxes)
formatsBusiness Papers Correspondence Personal Papers Photographs Clippings
accessAppointment necessary to consult collection.
record linkhttp://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HBS.Baker.EAD:bak00042
record sourcehttp://hollis.harvard.edu/
finding aidCollection finding aid available in the repository and electronically at http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HBS.Baker.EAD:bak00042
acquisition informationGift of Lehman Brothers, 2002
updated11/12/2014 11:29:59
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titleExercice du Chretien à L'usage de Rome: avec des Reflexions des Sonnets Chretiens et des Sentences de l'Ecriture Sainte ... / par Berny de Nogent.
repositoryCincinnati Historical Society Library CINCINNATI, OH 45203
descriptionManuscript in a neat calligraphy within painted borders.

Binding: original black morocco, vovers decorated with a rich ornamentation of small tooling composed of a large lozenge shaped figure in center made up of fleurons and tiny tools, four inner triangular corner pieces of similar design, all within a narrow dentelle border. Back elaborately gilt with red lettered label. Pink silk doublures and endleaves; gilt edges. In a blue levant solander case by Riviere & Son. CHT

Mortimer L. Schiff bookplate. CHT
extent[122] p. ; 16 cm. (16mo.)
formatsManuscript
accessRestricted access: appointment and demonstrated research need required. CHT
updated11/12/2014 11:29:59
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titleLouis Marshall Papers, 1891-1930
repositoryAmerican Jewish Archives
descriptionPersonal and business correspondence; letters and reports relating to Palestine, anti-Semitism, politics, and Zionism; legal opinions; and printed matter concerning Marshall's participation in public affairs.

Correspondence deals with the American Bar Association, (1926-1927), the American Jewish Committee (1899-1926), the American Jewish Relief Committee (1915-1924), the Council of the Y.M.H.A. (1898-1924), the Federation for the Support of Jewish Philanthropic Societies, of New York (1917-1918), the HIAS (1908-1929), the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (1923-1928), the Immigration Commission of the State of New York (1907-1912), the Jewish Welfare Board (1917-1922), the Kehillah of New York City (1908-1922), the Palestine Economic Corporation (1920-1929), the Romanian question (1916-1919), Alliance Israelite Universelle (1899-1929), American Jewish Congress (1902-1925), American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (1894-1929), American Red Cross (1917-1921), Central Conference of American Rabbis (1899-1928), Council of Jewish Communal Institutions (1908-1915), Council of Jewish Women (1908-1922), Educational Alliance (1891-1929), Federation of American Zionists (1899-1909), Intercollegiate Menorah Association (1914-1921), Jewish Chautauqua Society (1894-1924), Jewish Theological Seminary of America (1899-1939), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (1919-1929), and Union of American Hebrew Congregations (1894-1929). Correspondents include Michael Aaronsohn, Cyrus Adler, Felix Adler, Max Adler, Simon Adler, Paul Baerwals, Newton D. Baker, Joseph Barondess, Bernard M. Baruch, James M. Beck, James H. Becker, Nissim Behar, Mendel Beilis, Samson, Benderly, Henry Berkowitz, Meyer Berlin, Isaac W. Bernheim, Herman Bernstein, Samuel Bettelheim, Jacob Billikopf, David Blaustein, Franz Boas, Boris D. Bogen, William E. Borah, Louis D. Brandeis, David M. Bressler, David A. Brown, Fulton Bryslawski, Abraham Cahan, Benjamin N. Cardozo, Emanuel Celler, Henry Cohen, S. Solis Cohen, Calvin Coolidge, Philip S. Cowen, Abraham Cronbach, Harry Cutler, Gotthard Deutsch, Samuel Dickstein, Max Drob, Abram I. Elkus, Nathaniel A. Elsberg; Hyman G. Enelow, Jacob Epstein, Wilhelm Felderman, Bernard Flexner, Henry Ford, Lee K. Frankel, Felix Frankfurter, Harry Friedenwald, Herbert Friedenwald, Israel Friedlaender, Louis Friedman, Henry M. Goldfogle, Richard J.H. Gottheil, Samuel Greenbaum, Daniel Guggenheim, Simon Guggenheim, Samuel B. Hamburger, Max Heller, Maurice B. Hexter, Herbert C. Hoover, Charles Evans Hughes, Mordecai Kaplan, Frances Kellor, Kaufmann Kohler, Max J. Kohler, Nathan Krass, Adolf J. Kraus, Isaac Landman, Albert D. Lacker, Herbert H. Lehman, Irving Lehman, David Leventritt, Adolph Lewisohn, David Lubin, Albert Lucas, Julian W. Mack, Judah L. Magnes, Mendes H. Pereira, Nathan J. Miller, Henry Morgenthau, Adoph S. Ochs, and David De Sola Pool. Additional correspondents include James N. Rosenberg, Julius Rosenwald, Adolph Joachim Sabath, Herbert Samuel, Solomon Schechter, Jacob H. Schiff, Mortimer L. Schiff, Alfred E. Smith, Benjamin Stolz, Harlan F. Stone, Isidor Straus, Oscar S. Straus, Mayer Sulzberger, Cyrus L. Sulzberger, Henrietta Szold, William H. Taft, Henry M. Toch, Samuel Untermyer, Lillian D. Wald, Morris David Waldman, Felix M. Warburg, Paul M. Warburg, A. Leo Weil, Chaim Weizmann, Louis Wiley, Leo Wise, Stephen S. Wise, Simon Wolf, David Yellin, Israel Zangwill, and William Zukerman.

Bio/History:
Lawyer, civic and communal leader, civil rights advocate, labor union meditator, and philanthropist, of New York, N.Y
extent50.4 linear ft.
formats
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record sourcehttp://www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc/
finding aidFinding aid in the repository
updated11/12/2014 11:29:59
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titleBenjamin Schlesinger presidential records, 1928-1932.
repositoryCornell University Libraries
descriptionCorrespondence and subject files relating to Schlesinger’s term, October 1928 to June 1932.

Topics covered in these materials include: communist activity in the garment industry unions; contract negotiations; Schlesinger’s role as business manager of the Jewish Daily Forward (Chicago); labor disputes in the women’s garment industry of New York City; racketeering; socialism; garment industry strikes in New York City (including the 1929 Cloakmakers’ Strike and the 1930 Dressmakers’ Strike); the Tom Mooney Defense Committee; relations between manufacturers’ associations and the union; union conventions; union elections; union finances; and worker education.

Individuals and organizations represented in the collection include: the Amalgamated Bank of New York; the Affiliated Dress Manufacturers’ Association; the AFL (including letters from William Green); the Associated Raincoat Manufacturers of New York; Brookwood Labor College; Abraham Cahan; Thomas C.T. Crain; Eugene Debs; David Dubinsky; ILGWU Locals 8, 10 and 50; Sidney Hillman; Morris Hillquit; Charles Kreindler; Salvatore Ninfo; the Rand School of Social Science; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Arnold Rothstein; Jacob H. Schiff; Mortimer L. Schiff; Norman Thomas; Samuel Untermyer; B.C. Vladeck; and the Wholesale Dress Manufacturers’ Association.

Biographical and Historical Note
Files of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) president Benjamin Schlesinger during his final term as president, from October 1928 to June 1932.

Schlesinger was a Jewish immigrant from Lithuania who began working in the garment industry in Chicago as a teenager. He became a union organizer soon after and rose quickly in the ranks of the Chicago Cloakmakers' Union. He served as president of the ILGWU for a brief time in 1903, and again from 1914 to 1923. Later, he was business manager of the Jewish Daily Forward in Chicago. He died in office on June 6, 1932.
extent2 linear ft.
formatsCorrespondence Subject Files
accessAccess to the collections in the Kheel Center is restricted. Please contact a reference archivist for access to these materials.
record linkhttp://rmc.library.cornell.edu/ead/htmldocs/KCL05780-010.html
record sourcehttps://catalog.library.cornell.edu
finding aidIn repository and on repository's web site.
acquisition informationFound In: International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union records
updated11/12/2014 11:29:59
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titleFelix Moritz Warburg Papers, 1910-1937.
repositoryAmerican Jewish Archives
descriptionCollection consisting of correspondence and reports concerning Felix M. Warburg's philanthropic, political and educational activities and interests.

Historical Note
Felix M. Warburg was born in Germany in 1871. Warburg was a partner in the New York banking firm, Kuhn, Loeb and Co. His chief interests, however, were in philanthropy, education, and culture. Warburg was a key figure in the German-Jewish elite of the early 20th century American Jewish community. IN 1895 Warburg married Frieda Schiff. They had five children: Carola, Frederick, Gerald, Paul, and Edward. Felix M. Warburg died in 1937.
extent75.2 linear feet.
formatsCorrespondence Reports Ephemera
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record sourcehttp://archives.cn.huc.edu
finding aidFinding aid published in: Manuscript Catalog of the American Jewish Archives (Boston : G.K. Hall & Co.), 1971, v. 4.; also available in the repository.
acquisition informationDonor unknown
updated11/12/2014 11:30:02
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