Jacques Seligmann & Co. Records are one of the richest resources for provenance research at the Archives of American Art. Jacques Seligmann & Co. were international art galleries established in 1880 in Paris, France, and had a second location in New York which opened in 1904. While the company focused primarily on importing collections into the United States, correspondence between different departments of U.S. government exemplify the wide extent to which Jacques Seligmann & Co. acquired art pieces and organized finances.
Jacques Seligmann & Co. Records are one of the richest resources for provenance research at the Archives of American Art. Jacques Seligmann & Co. were international art galleries established in 1880 in Paris, France, and had a second location in New York which opened in 1904. While the company focused primarily on importing collections into the United States, correspondence between different departments of U.S. government exemplify the wide extent to which Jacques Seligmann & Co. acquired art pieces and organized finances.
The company's correspondence with various U.S. government departments include a wide range of letters including various sale and auction inquiries, customs declarations, art inventory inquiries, and tax reports. These records are vital not only in comprehending the Jacques Seligmann & Co.'s many handlings of art shipments across borders, but in tracing the origins of collections and the means taken to acquire them within the U.S.
To learn more about the Jacques Seligmann & Co. records, and to explore the fully digitized collection, visit the finding aid at the Archives of American Art website. Gain insight into how provenance researchers use the collection by reading A Guide to Provenance Research at the Archives of American Art.