Subseries 1: I. Rosenbaum, N.V., 1890-1964, bulk: 1930-1949

Subseries 1: I. Rosenbaum, N.V., 1890-1964 (bulk: 1930-1949), documents the dealings of the Amsterdam firm and its dissolution, with the years after 1939 focusing on the liquidation of the firm and communication between the dealers who relocated to New York City and their long-standing secretary in Amsterdam, Elisabeth Verlaan-Peters. Many files contain originals and copies of documentation left behind in Amsterdam after the Rosenberg and Stiebel families fled Europe for the United States (with the exception of Raphael Rosenberg, who remained in England) in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The subseries also contains some files from 1890-1929, mostly documents from Frankfurt that were incorporated into the relevant files in Amsterdam.

Files are arranged alphabetically by correspondent or subject and contain correspondence, financial reports, shipping documents, insurance policies and claims, inventories, invoices, estate administration, immigration records, wills and powers of attorney, and claims for restitution from the Dutch and German governments. Most documents are in German and Dutch, with a significant amount of English and some French.

Transactions described in these files which contain unique I. Rosenbaum inventory numbers (beginning with N.) and Rosenberg & Stiebel, Inc. inventory numbers have been indexed.

There is a limited number of records related to the German firm’s operations and sales including transactions with art collectors Jakob Goldschmidt, Max von Goldschmidt-Rothschild, Fritz B. Gutmann, and Catalina von Pannwitz. Most records related to J. Rosenbaum concern the firm’s liquidation, which concluded in 1937.

The file for Elisabeth Verlaan-Peters is extensive and offers insight into the daily operations of both the Dutch and American businesses from 1945-1964, as well as describing many of the documents within this subseries and their relevance to the firm. Verlaan-Peters remained in Amsterdam during World War II and cooperated with the verwalters appointed to administer the business, and later assisted with restitution efforts related to the business as well as the Rosenberg and Stiebel extended families’ personal affairs. She mailed originals and copies of documents to New York, as well as conducted research and met with lawyers, accountants, government agents, and other dealers on behalf of the family.

Many files involve personal matters of relevance to the operations of the firm such as immigration to the United States, payments of the Reichsfluchtsteuer [Reich Flight Tax] and other tax matters, and administration of the estates of Isaac Rosenbaum and Berta Rosenberg (sister of Isaac Rosenbaum and mother of Saemy Rosenberg, Raphael Rosenberg, etc.).

For preservation purposes, deteriorating paper with which I. Rosenbaum, N.V., produced copies of their outgoing correspondence prior to mid-1950 was scanned and replaced with copies. The originals have been filed separately.