Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Archives related to: Arthur S. Vernay Incorporated (New York, N.Y.)

title	Business papers, 1913-1978.
repository	The Winterthur Library
description	Collection contains records of Arthur S. Vernay, Inc., and Vernay & Jussel from 1907-1978 (bulk dates: 1913-1962), and records of J.J. Wolff (Antiques) Ltd. from 1950-1978. Most of Vernay’s records prior to 1914 were destroyed by fire, and most post-1962 records remain in private hands. The collection contains sales books; indexes to the sales books in separate volumes; one volume of London purchase sheets; photos of interiors designed by A.S. Vernay, Inc. and a contract book detailing work performed for clients; stock (or inventory) cards and photographs; and catalogs, announcements, and advertisements, some of which were mounted into volumes. The sales books are the bookkeeper’s copy of sales slips, which include the customer’s name, address, a description of what was purchased, and the price. They are in chronological order. The repair logs record items which were repaired for customers. The indexes to the sales books are also divided by year, but list the customers’ names in alphabetical order. The London purchase sheets list goods purchased in England by the firm. Their prices are in code and the vendor from whom they were purchased is not given; however, the pieces are described and their date of manufacture is noted. The interior decorating photos record the last names of owners of properties decorated by Vernay and sometimes their addresses. At least one of the homes was in England. Customers included H. Pulitzer, the Waldorf Hotel, a synagogue in Atlanta, and Mr. S. Guggenheim. A photo from the Waldorf depicts the King of Siam in his suite. Interiors of the Vernay shop are also included and Vernay’s house in Berkeley Square, London, is pictured. The contract book gives details on interior design work performed by the firm ca.1940-1970. A collection of loose photos was not identified; some duplicate images found in the interior design photo albums. Other photos are probably of items for sale, but all the photos are filed together. Some of these were taken by the noted photographer Mattie Edwards Hewitt. The collection also includes ten volumes of sales books from J.J. Wolff, Ltd., plus the index volume to those books. They include customers’ names, addresses, a description of what was purchased, and the price. The index volume divides the names alphabetically. As well, cards and photographs documenting the inventory of J.J. Wolff, Ltd. are part of the collection. The cards include a stock or inventory number, description of the item, from whom purchased (with date and purchase price), a record of repairs (if any), the price for which sold, and often the name of the buyer. Most of the photographs are numbered, with the number matching that on an inventory card. Lastly, the collection includes a photo archive which combined images from all three firms represented in this collection: Vernay, Vernay & Jussel, and J.J. Wolff. The stock (or inventory) cards are in stock number order. Each card includes information about when and where purchased and the purchase price (sometimes in code). Repair work is noted as well. Many of the items were photographed and the negatives are included with the collection. Negatives of the Vernay & Jussel both at various antique shows were found interfiled with the stock photos. The early photos were not marked with the stock number, but a list matching photo and stock numbers is found in the collection. Arrangement The papers are arranged in eight series: I. Arthur S. Vernay, Inc. sales index books; II. Arthur S. Vernay, Inc. sales books and repair logs; III. Arthur S. Vernay, Inc. London purchase sheets; IV. photographs and photo albums of interiors designed by Arthur S. Vernay, Inc.; interior design contract book; V. catalogs, announcements, and advertisements of Arthur S. Vernay, Inc. and Vernay & Jussel; VI. stock cards and photographs of Arthur S. Vernay, Inc., Vernay & Jussel, and J.J. Wolff, Inc.; VII. records of J.J. Wolff, Inc.; and VIII. photo archive from Arthur S. Vernay, Inc., Vernay & Jussel, and J.J. Wolff. Biography or history Arthur Stannard Vernay founded the antiques business that bore his name. Born in England, Vernay came to the United States as a young man and began to deal in antiques; he opened his own shop in 1906. He sold English antiques almost exclusively. In addition to selling antiques, Vernay’s firm offered restoration and interior design services, including the installation of period paneled rooms. This was an important part of the business, employing up to forty people. At various times, the firm had branches in London and Boston, and a summer shop in Newport, Rhode Island. For a brief while, it had a reproduction arm called The House of Philip Oriel, but it went out of business as a result of the Great Depression. In 1928, Stephen J. Jussel began to work at Vernay, Inc. He became general manager of Vernay, Inc. and essentially was head of the company by the early 1930s. Vernay officially retired in 1941, but the business continued in existence with Stephen J. Jussel, J. Gordon Irving, and J.L. van den Broeck as officers. After Irving and van den Broeck died, both in 1952, Jussel bought the business. In 1972, his son Christian (Chris) Jussel began to work for him. In 1978, Chris Jussel bought J.J. Wolff (Antiques) Ltd. when Mr. Wolff was ready to retire. Joel Wolff was from London, England, and came to New York City after World War II and opened an antiques importing business and then an antiques shop. Also in 1978, Arthur S. Vernay, Inc. became Vernay and Jussel, Inc. - a change in name to honor Stephen Jussel’s 50th anniversary with the business. After Stephen Jussel’s retirement, Chris Jussel continued to run the business until 1994, when he closed the store in order to pursue other interests. Location The Winterthur Library: Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera, Winterthur, DE 19735. Call Number Col. 739
extent	26 cu. ft. : ill.
formats	Business Papers Financial Records Photographs Stock Books
access	Contact repository for restrictions and policies.
record link	http://findingaid.winterthur.org/html/HTML_Finding_Aids/COL0739.htm
record source	http://library.winterthur.org:8000/cgi-bin/webgw
finding aid	A finding aid is available at this repository.
updated	03/16/2023 10:30:01
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