Series III: Family History, 1878-2012, undated
Scope and Content Note
Series III: Family History, 1878-2012 and undated, documents the activities of the Rosenbaum, Sichel, Rosenberg, Stiebel, and related families in Europe and the United States, both personal and professional, from the late 19th century to the early 21st century. A significant amount of material comes from Irene Sichel Stiebel, wife of Eric Stiebel, and also documents her side of the family including her parents, Friedel Tannenbaum Sichel Elba and Dr. Max Sichel. A family tree has been constructed based on the information in this series as well as research on genealogical websites. The family tree is available as a PDF upon request.
Subseries 1: Artifacts, circa 19th-20th century, consists of a faux leather box that previously contained correspondence and photographs; an Italian box that previously contained hundreds of photographs collected by Irene Stiebel; a bronze sign for Rosenberg & Stiebel, Inc.; and two frames from which objects in the Certificates and Awards subseries were removed.
Subseries 2: Certificates and awards, 1912-2011, consists of royal warrants of appointment, certificates of membership for professional organizations and museums, and Gerald Stiebel’s diplomas, and licenses. The majority of items in this subseries were removed from their frames for preservation and ease of access.
Subseries 3: Correspondence, 1878-1981, consists of feldpostkarten [field postcards] from Dr. Max Sichel to his daughter Irene Sichel during World War I; correspondence related to the sale of objects from the Guelph Treasure to the Cleveland Museum of Art; postcards; letters related to royal warrants of appointment; and Gerald Stiebel’s research on the founding date of the I. Rosenbaum firm.
Subseries 4: Photographs and scrapbooks, circa 19th century - 2000, contains two scrapbooks, one with photographs of Isaac Rosenbaum’s collection of faience tankards and one with clippings related to the purchase and exhibition of the Guelph Treasure; photographs of members of the extended Rosenberg and Stiebel families and their friends and colleagues; photographs of the family’s businesses; photographs of the Rothschild family and other collectors, dealers, and scholars; and a “baby book” for Irene Sichel Stiebel.
Subseries 5: Printed Material, 1883-2012, contains approximately 30 prayer books belonging to Eric Stiebel; "Die Geistesstorungen bei den Juden" [Mental Disorders Among the Jews] by Dr. Max Sichel; newspaper clippings, including obituaries for Eric Stiebel; catalogs related to the Guelph Treasure; lectures given and articles written by Gerald Stiebel; labels for the Henri de Rothschild and A. de Rothschild Collections; "Verzeichnis der National Wertvollen Kunstwerke" [List of Nationally Valuable Works of Art], 1927; and several books of unclear significance.
Subseries 6: Miscellaneous, 1914-1986, contains an inventory prepared by Eric Stiebel and Penelope Hunter-Stiebel of a selection of the contents of this series; Irene Stiebel’s collection of autographs from musicians, actors, and playwrights in Berlin; three stamps; a transcription of a meeting of the Detroit Arts Commission in 1965 at which Saemy Rosenberg gave a speech; a crossword puzzle about the gallery and family history; and a Rothschild family tree.
Dates
- Creation: 1878-2012, undated
Biographical / Historical
Several subseries document the family’s involvement with the Guelph Treasure (Welfenschatz), a collection of medieval ecclesiastical art amassed by the House of Guelph (or Welf) over several centuries and originally housed at the Cathedral of St. Blaise in Brunswick. The collection remained with descendants of this dynasty until 1929, when it was sold to a group of Jewish art dealers in Frankfurt, Germany for several million dollars. The dealers involved were J. Rosenbaum (represented by Isaac Rosenbaum and Saemy Rosenberg), Julius Falk Goldschmidt, and Zacharias M. Hackenbroch.
The collection was exhibited at several museums in Germany and the United States from 1930-1931, and about half of the objects were sold to museums and private collectors. The objects which remained were then sold in 1935 to the German government under Nazi rule. The collection remains in possession of the German government under the auspices of the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) where it is on permanent display in Berlin. In recent years, heirs of the Rosenbaum family and other dealers have sought the restitution of this collection, which was denied most recently in 2022.
Sources:
“What is the Guelph Treasure?”
https://www.preussischer-kulturbesitz.de/en/newsroom/dossiers-and-news/all-dossiers/dossier-the-guelph-treasure/what-is-the-guelph-treasure.html?sword_list%5B0%5D=guelph&no_cache=1
De Winter, Patrick M. The sacral treasure of the Guelphs. Bloomington, Cleveland Museum of Art, 1985.
“The $250 Million Guelph Treasure Will Not Be Returned to the Heirs of Jewish Collectors, a U.S. Court Has Ruled” (August 30, 2022)
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/the-250-million-guelph-treasure-will-not-be-returned-to-the-heirs-of-jewish-collectors-a-u-s-court-has-ruled-2167352
Repository Details
Part of the Frick Collection Archives Repository
