Description
Records of the Durlacher Brothers, prominent art dealers in London and New York during the 19th and 20th centuries. The records
comprise administrative and financial records, correspondence, and photographs from the New York City branch, ca. 1920s-1960s,
the years during which R. Kirk Askew managed, and then owned the firm.
Background
Henry Durlacher founded the Durlacher Brothers firm of art dealers in London in 1843, and was later joined by his brother
George. The firm dealt principally with porcelain and majolica, eventually adding furniture, tapestries, decorative objects,
and paintings to their stock. The brothers Durlacher built a clientele that included such significant collectors as Sir Richard
Wallace and J. Pierpont Morgan. R. Kirk Askew joined the firm in the 1920s to manage the newly established New York City branch,
which quickly became the more influential of the two branches. George Durlacher, the oldest surviving partner of the originally
constituted firm, retired in 1938. Askew became the owner of Durlacher Bros. in 1937 and ran the business from New York until
ca. 1969.
Extent
16.0 linear feet
(42 boxes)
Restrictions
Contact
Library Rights and Reproductions.
Availability
Open for use by qualified researchers.