Irene and Solomon R. Guggenheim Estates papers

Irene and Solomon R. Guggenheim Estates papers

Collection Overview

Repository:
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives.
Creator:
Guggenheim, Solomon R. (Solomon Robert), 1861-1949.
Title:
Irene and Solomon R. Guggenheim Estates papers
Call Number:
M0011
Dates:
1905-1961 (bulk 1926-1955)
Volume:
0.9 cubic ft. (3 boxes)
Biographical Abstract:
Irene Rothschild Guggenheim (IRG) (1868-1954) was a philanthropist interested in child development and the arts. Solomon R. Guggenheim (SRG) (1861-1949) was a business executive who was also a collector of art. In 1895, SRG and IRG married. Upon their deaths, the estates they left helped build the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (SRGM) and its Foundation.
Scope and Content Abstract:
The Irene and Solomon R. Guggenheim Estates papers spans the years 1905-1959 (bulk 1926-1955) and documents the individual estates of Irene and Solomon R. Guggenheim. The majority of papers in this collection were created prior to and at the beginning stages of the establishment of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The collection includes: collection acquisition information; auction catalogs; correspondence; appraisals; inventories; negatives; the last wills and testament of the Guggenheims; newspaper clippings; and sales receipts.
Location:
CF
Language:
Collection is primarily in English.
Arrangement:
Organized into 2 series: 1. Irene R. Guggenheim Estate; and 2. Solomon R. Guggenheim Estate
Restrictions:
The collection is partially restricted. Financial records and permanent collection records are restricted. For further information, please consult the Manager of the Library and Archives.
Publication Rights:
Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the Manager of the Library and Archives.
Preferred Citation:
Irene and Solomon R. Guggenheim Estates collection. M0011. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives, New York, NY.
Subjects:
Auction Catalogs.
New River Collieries Company.
Parke-Bernet Galleries.
Plaza Hotel (New York, N.Y.).
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
Wildenstein and Company (New York, N.Y.).
Contributors:
Rothschild, Irene.
Whelpley, Medley, G.B. (Gordon Brit), 1893- ?.
Finding aid prepared by Terez Rivera in April 2007.

Biographical Note

Irene Rothschild Guggenheim (IRG) was born in 1868 to Henry v. Rothschild and Josephine Wolf Rothschild. In 1895, she married Solomon R. Guggenheim (SRG) and they had three daughters, Elenor May, Gertrude Renee, and Barbara Josephine. Because of her interest in art, IRG convinced her husband to start collecting paintings, mostly American and Italian landscapes and Italian, Dutch and German primitives. IRG was known for the charities that she contributed to through out her life. Such charities included the Brightside Day Nursery and Kindergarten and the associated Cannon Street Health Center. IRG also donated to orchestral societies and some of New York's art museums. At the time of her death in 1954, she left a net estate of $16,635,502. Included in this amount was $13,664,794 left by SRG. The IRG estate was distributed among her three daughters and their children.Solomon R. Guggenheim (SRG) was born on February 2, 1861 to Meyer Guggenheim and Barbara Myers Guggenheim. He attended the Concordia Institute in Zurich, Switzerland and at age twenty, he became a partner at M. Guggenheim's Sons. SRG became joined the Board of Directors to the American Smelting and Refining Company when his family acquired the company in 1901. He was also President of the Braden Copper Company in Chile, Director of the Chile Copper Company, the Utah Copper Company, and Guggenheim Exploration Company, and founded the Yukon Gold Company in Alaska.

SRG acquired many different properties during his lifetime. These included a suite at the Plaza Hotel, an estate in Sands Point, New York, Elberton, New Jersey, Charleston, South Carolina, a ranch in Idaho, and a shooting lodge in Scotland. SRG began collecting paintings when he married his wife, Irene Rothschild, in 1895. He began collecting modern art on a grand scale when he met and befriended Baroness Hilla Rebay von Erhenweisen. In 1937, he established the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. At the time of his death, SRG left $8,000,000 to the Foundation that he created, $2,000,000 of which went to the construction of the SRGM. The remainder of the $8,000,000 balance went towards SRGM endowment, maintenance of the Museum, and promotion of education and public appreciation of art. In addition, parts of his estate were left to his widow, Irene, and their three children.

Bibliography

"Guggenheim Left $2,000,000 to Art." New York Times, November 11, 1949.
"Mrs. Guggenheim's Estate." New York Times, November 27, 1957.
"Mrs. Solomon Guggenheim Dies; Welfare and Charity Leader Here." New York Times, November 29, 1954.
"Solomon Robert Guggenheim." Dictionary of American Biography, American Council of Learned Societies, 1974.

Scope and Content Note

The Irene and Solomon R. Guggenheim Estates papers covers the years 1905-1959 (bulk 1926-1955) and documents the individual estates of Irene and Solomon R. Guggenheim. The majority of papers in this collection were created prior to and at the beginning stages of the establishment of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The collection consists of Irene and Solomon R. Guggenheim's interest, ownership, and property, mainly relating to their art collections and residences. The collection includes: acquisition information; auction catalogs; correspondence; appraisals; inventories; negatives; the last wills and testament of the Guggenheims; newspaper clippings; and sales receipts. The collection is arranged into two series: Series 1. Irene R. Guggenheim Estate; and Series 2. Solomon R. Guggenheim Estate. Series 1. Irene R. Guggenheim Estate contains information about the property and possessions of Irene R. Guggenheim. Series 2. Solomon R. Guggenheim Estate contains documentation of Solomon R. Guggenheim's property and possessions.

Series Descriptions

Series 1. Irene R. Guggenheim Estate, 1926-1961 (bulk 1948-1955), 0.4 cubic ft.
Summary: Series 1. Irene R. Guggenheim Estate contains information on Irene R. Guggenheim's (IRG) estate, including her property and possessions. Folders that contain sales records, provenance, insurance information, value information, shipping information, or exhibition costs are restricted. This series includes: acquisition information; auction catalogs; correspondence; inventories; negatives; newspaper clippings; and a copy of part of her last will and testament. Information pertaining to the estate of her father, Henry V. Rothschild, is also present here. The bulk of this series consists of acquisition information, and auction catalogs. It is important to note that all of the auction catalogs in this series contain property of IRG that was for sale. The collection also contains documentation on the locations of the personal property, household furnishings, and other art, including paintings and sculpture of IRG.
Arrangement: Alphabetical
Series 2. Solomon R. Guggenheim Estate, 1905-1959 (bulk 1930-1952), 0.5 cubic ft.
Summary: Series 2. Solomon R. Guggenheim Estate contains information on Solomon R. Guggenheim's estate, including his property and possessions. Folders that contain sales records, provenance, insurance information, value information, shipping information, or exhibition costs are restricted. The series includes: newspaper clippings; inventories; appraisals; correspondence; a copy of SRG's last will and testament; mortgage deeds; and sales receipts. The bulk of the collection consists of inventories and appraisals of his belongings. This series mostly provides documentation on the value and sales of Solomon R. Guggenheim's properties. It is also important to note that this series documents SRG's early professional career, prior to the creation of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.
Arrangement: Alphabetical

Folder List

Series 1. Irene R. Guggenheim Estate, 1926-1961 (bulk 1948-1955), 0.4 cubic ft.
BoxFolderTitleDate
45161Acquisitions: Correspondence (Restricted)1926-1937
Auction Catalogs
45162Furniture and Decorations1951
45163English and Other Furniture and Decorations1955
45164English and Other Period Furniture and Decorations1955
45165French Furniture Oriental and Aubusson Rugs and Decorations1950
45166French Provincial Furniture and Decorations and Georgian Furniture1956
45167Furniture and Appointments Porcelain, Glass, Bibelots1951
45168Louis XV and Louis XVI Furniture and Objects d'Art1955
45169Modern French Paintings1955
451610Notable English and French Furniture of the 18th Century and Georgian Silver Belonging to the Estate of the Late Mrs. Solomon R. Guggenheim1955
451611Vienna, Meissen, Dresden and Other Porcelain Furniture and Decorations1951
50501Bequests (Restricted)1949-1954
451612Estate of Irene R. Guggenheim: Personal Property: Correspondence and Appraisal Information (Restricted)1955, 1956
50502Estate of Rothschild, V. Henry (Restricted)1926, 1944
451613Insurance Policies: Correspondence (Restricted)1930-1939
50503Inventory and Appraisal (Restricted)1955
451614Launching of the S.S. Caribbean: Correspondence1942, 1943
Negatives
451615Francesco Di Giorgio Martini, Madonna and Child and Two Saints (Inventory #1260)1948
451616Master of Alkmaar, St. Ursula and One of Her Virgins (Inventory #1242)1948
451617Master of Magdalene Legende, Small Triptych of Madonna and Child, St. Helen, and St. John (Inventory #1250)1948
451618Sir Thomas Lawrence, Portrait of Lady Marie Sommerville (Inventory #1266)1948
451619Unknown (School of Pietro Lorenzett, Siena?) Italian, Madonna and Child of 14th or Early 15th Century (Inventory #1272)1948
451620Newspaper Clippings1954
451621Parke-Bernet Galleries: Sale of Estate (Restricted)1955
45171The Solomon R. Guggenheim Pictures Which Came from the Country House and from the Apartment of Mrs. Solomon R. Guggenheim: Inventories (Restricted)1959, 1961
Series 2. Solomon R. Guggenheim Estate, 1905-1959 (bulk 1930-1952), 0.5 cubic ft.
BoxFolderTitleDate
45172"The Adventurous Angles" by Peter Lyon: Article1959
45173Amended Certificate of Incorporation of the New River Collieries Company1921
Appraised Inventories (Restricted)
45174Household Furnishings Belonging to Solomon R. Guggenheim at "The Plaza" in New York City1927
50504Inventory and Appraisal of Certain Paintings Designated by Mr. and Mrs. Solomon R. Guggenheim and Contained on the Premises at Sand Point, Long Island, New York1943
50505Inventory and Appraisal of Paintings Belonging to Solomon R. Guggenheim Contained in Rooms 1003, 1010, 1011 Carnegie Hall Studios and in Apartment at Plaza Hotel1939
45175Residential Furnishings and Equipment Belonging to Solomon R. Guggenheim at Sands Point, Port Washington, Long Island1936
45176Bauer, Rudolf: Sales Receipt (Restricted)1938
45177Copy of a Certified Copy of Certificate of Incorporation of Guggenheim Exploration Company1912
50506Elgebar Corporation Insurance Inventory (Restricted)1936
50507Last Will and Testament (Restricted)1951
45178The Lucerne Fine Art Company, Ltd.: Correspondence (Restricted)1925-1928
45179Luncheon in Honor of Mr. Solomon R. Guggenheim Presentation of Decoration of Commander of the Order "Al Merito" Bestowed Upon Him by Government of Chile1945
50508Mortgage Deed of Residence in Palm Beach to Irma B. Levy (Restricted)1942, 1943
50509Oehme, Julius: Correspondence and Sales Receipts (Restricted)1905, 1906, 1910
Sale of Residences (Restricted)
Sale of Palm Beach Residence
451710Correspondence1943-1949
505010Survey of Property1941
Sale of Residence at No. 9 East Battery, Charleston, South Carolina
505011Appraised Inventory1950?
451711Correspondence1949-1952
451712Solomon R. Guggenheim, Plaza Hotel Depreciating Value as of January 1939 (Restricted)1939
451713Wildenstein & Co. Inc.: Correspondence (Restricted)1926-1928
Whelpley, Medley G.B. (Restricted)
451714Correspondence1931-1949
451715Newspaper Clippings1931
451716Report of the Fixed Nitrogen Task Committee of the National Engineers Committee of the Engineer Joint Council1945