Collection Summary
Raoul Heilbronner Papers 1887-1952
(bulk 1887-1914)
1887-1952
(bulk 1887-1914)
MSS25650
Heilbronner, Raoul
9,000 items
9 containers
3.4 linear feet
French
English
German
Italian
Collection material in French, with English, German, and Italian
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
German-born antique dealer, of Paris,
France, who specialized in Gothic and Renaissance art, furniture, tapestries and statues
and supplied many nineteenth and early twentieth century American collectors.
Correspondence; letterbooks; business records including invoices, inventories,
notebooks, address book, records of purchases and sales, deposits, and consignments; and
historical notes and clippings relating to particular objects.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Barnard, George Grey, 1863-1938.
Bertron, Samuel R., 1865-1938.
Blair, Mary Anne Italia Mitchell, 1855-
Bradley, Edson.
Crocker, Charles T. (Charles Templeton), 1884-1948.
Harriman, Mary Williamson, 1851-1932.
Hearst, William Randolph, 1863-1951.
Heilbronner, Raoul.
Klapp, Elinor Evans, 1848-1916.
Palmer, Bertha Honoré, 1849-1918.
Ryan, Thomas Fortune, 1851-1928.
Vanderbilt, William K. (William Kissam), 1849-1920.
Walters, Henry, 1848-1931.
Subjects
Antiques business--France--Paris.
Antiques.
Art, Gothic.
Art, Renaissance.
Art--Collectors and collecting.
Furniture, Gothic.
Furniture, Renaissance.
Sculpture, Gothic.
Sculpture, Renaissance.
Tapestry, Gothic.
Tapestry, Renaissance.
Occupations
Antique dealers.
Provenance
The papers of Raoul Heilbronner, antique dealer, were given to the Library of
Congress through the offices of Robert Garrett of Baltimore, Md., in 1952, by Tudor
Wilkinson, Paris, France. Wilkinson had purchased the material at a public auction in
the early 1920s.
Processing History
The papers of Raoul Heilbronner were processed in 1954. The finding aid was revised
in 2013.
Additional Guides
The papers of Raoul Heilbronner have been described in the
Library of
Congress Information Bulletin
11, no. 27 (June 30, 1952) and in the
Library of Congress Quarterly Journal of Current Acquisitions
10, no. 3
(May 1953).
Transfers
Photographs, drawings, fine prints, and blueprints were transferred to the Prints
and Photographs Division where they are identified as part of these papers.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Raoul Heilbronner is governed
by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Raoul Heilbronner are open to research. Researchers are advised to
contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored
off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:
Container number, Raoul Heilbronner Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Raoul Heilbronner, a prominent antiquaire of the late
nineteenth century and during the first decade of the twentieth, came to France as a
German soldier during the Franco-Prussian War and remained in Paris. His only son was
born there and his two daughters married Frenchmen who also were antiquaires.
Heilbronner started his business before 1887 and specialized in Gothic and Renaissance
objects, furniture, tapestries, and statues. Heilbronner’s principal clients seem to
have been a number of the great amateur American collectors of the period, as well as
dealers here. For this reason, especially, the papers are important for the history of
art in America. Heilbronner furnished art objects of high value for the private
collections of William Randolph Hearst, Mary A. I. Mitchell Blair, wife of C. J. Blair,
of Chicago, and others.
Heilbronner was a German citizen whose collection was confiscated and later sold at
public auction after he was designated an enemy alien by the French government during
World War I.
Few exact details of Heilbronner’s life have been determined. The date of his death has
not been ascertained.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Raoul Heilbronner span the years 1887-1952, with the bulk of the material
concentrated in the period 1887-1914. The collection consists of correspondence;
letterbooks; business records including invoices, inventories, notebooks, address book,
records of purchases and sales, deposits, and consignments; and historical notes and
clippings relating to particular art objects. The papers are organized into four series:
[
Letterpress Books
](Letter),[
Business Records
](Bus),[
Business Correspondence and Records
](Corr), and[
Miscellany
](Misc).
Individuals represented in the collection include George Grey Barnard, Samuel R.
Bertron, Mary Anne Italia Mitchell Blair, Edson Bradley, Charles T. Crocker, Mary
Williamson Harriman, William Randolph Hearst, Elinor Evans Klapp, Bertha Honoré Palmer,
Thomas Fortune Ryan, William K. Vanderbilt, and Henry Walters.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in four series:
-
[
Letterpress
Books, 1911-1914
](Letter)
-
[
Business Records, 1887-1914
](Bus)
-
[
Business Correspondence and Records, circa 1903-1914
](Corr)
-
[
Miscellany, 1910-1952
](Misc)
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm78025650]
Container List
Container
Contents
1-2
Letterpress Books, 1911-1914
1911-1914
Copies of letters sent.
Arranged chronologically. An index is in each volume.
1
15 June 1911-24 June 1912
15 June 1911-24 June 1912
1
24 June 1912-9 May 1913
24 June 1912-9 May 1913
1
May 1913-Apr. 1914
May 1913-Apr. 1914
2
4 Apr. 1914-1 Oct. 1914
4 Apr. 1914-1 Oct. 1914
2
To E. Glaenzer & Co.
To E. Glaenzer & Co.
2
24 Oct. 1910-22 Apr. 1914
24 Oct. 1910-22 Apr. 1914
2
Address book
3-6
Business Records, 1887-1914
1887-1914
Bills, inventories, records of sales, and related material, some in bound volumes,
some unbound.
Arranged by type of material.
3
Factures
3
11 July 1899-4 Dec. 1906
11 July 1899-4 Dec. 1906
3
25 June 1912-11 Sept. 1914
25 June 1912-11 Sept. 1914
3
Inventaire, closed 19 Aug. 1914
3
Notebook, inventaire
3
1908-1912
1908-1912
3
1908-1909
1908-1909
4
Ventes
4
1887-1890
1887-1890
4
1894-1897
1894-1897
4
1899-1903
1899-1903
4
1903-1906
1903-1906
4
1906-1910
1906-1910
4
1909-1913
1909-1913
4
1910-1914
1910-1914
5
Volumes as follows
5
Achats
5
1899-1904
1899-1904
5
1904-1906
1904-1906
5
Achats et ventes, 1907-1908
1907-1908
5
Ledger
5
Caisse, 1906-1910
1906-1910
6
Dépôts
6
Expeditions
6
Terrasse, records of
6
Canettes, records of
6
Reparations
6
Historical notes, consisting of a few
letters, notes clippings, etc., and two official documents, in Italian,
stamped and signed, attesting a Venetian clock, 30 June 1862 and 9 Dec. 1865
30 June 1862 and 9 Dec. 1865
6
Factures merchandise
6
1908-1911
1908-1911
7
1908-1913 (alphabetically arranged by
name of client)
1908-1913 (alphabetically arranged by
name of client)
7
1913
1913
7-9
Business Correspondence and Records,
circa 1903-1914
circa 1903-1914
Letters sent and received.
Arranged by type of material or name of correspondent.
7
Miscellaneous letters and lists (chronologically
arranged), 1910-1913
1910-1913
7
Correspondence (alphabetically arranged by name
of clients), 1913
1913
8
Mrs. C. J. Blair (Mary Anne Italia Mitchell
Blair), factures and correspondence, 1906-1914
1906-1914
8
G. Brauer, 1903-1914
1903-1914
8
Carrére & Hastings, 1913-1914
1913-1914
8
P. W. French & Co., pictures, inventory of
stained glass windows, and correspondence
8
Eugene Glaenzer & Co., dépôts, comptes, and
correspondence
9
William Randolph Hearst, bills and
correspondence, 1909-1914
1909-1914
9
John A. Holms of Glasgow
9
Objects à acheter (correspondence about); also
pictures and descriptive material
9
Miscellany, 1910-1952
1910-1952
Miscellaneous items mainly not part of Heilbronner business records.
No arrangement.
9
Miscellaneous items, probably not Heibronner
material, 1910-1952
1910-1952