Jacques Seligmann & Co. records, 1904-1978, bulk 1913-1974

This series houses reference and provenance files, correspondence, and catalogs relating to auctions, primarily of individual works of art owned by Jacques Seligmann & Co., Inc. Most of the auctions were handled by Christie's between 1957 and 1975, although there are a few files for auctions held at Parke-Bernet. There is also extensive documentation of the 1948 Parke-Bernet auction of the C. S. Wadsworth Trust, a dummy trust set up by the firm to dispose of a portion of its inventory consisting of Renaissance portraits, Old Masters, late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century French paintings, and French and British eighteenth-century works. Several drawings and paintings by Pierre Bonnard, Edgar Degas, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Renoir, Georges Seurat, Edouard Vuillard, and other modern artists and masters were included. Although the firm tried to keep the true ownership of the works of art from the public, it was discovered and leaked to the press. Also found in this series are auction catalogs from Christie's, Parke-Bernet, and various auction houses for auctions featuring the firm's works.

The series is organized into three subseries. The bulk of this series has been scanned. Exceptions are noted in the individual descriptions for each series.