George Sidney Hellman (November 14, 1878 – July 16, 1958) was an American author, editor, and art collector.

Biography

George S. Hellman was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on November 14, 1878, the grandson of

Joseph Seligman Joseph Seligman (November 22, 1819 – April 25, 1880) was an American banker and businessman who founded J. & W. Seligman & Co. He was the patriarch of what became known as the Seligman family in the United States and related to the wealthy Gug ...

. Hellman assisted

J. P. Morgan John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. As the head of the banking firm that ...

with the development of his book collection that later became the

Morgan Library The Morgan Library & Museum (originally known as the Pierpont Morgan Library and colloquially known the Morgan) is a museum and research library in New York City, New York, U.S. Completed in 1906 as the private library of the banker J. P. Morg ...

. In 1909, he helped Morgan acquire the book collection of Stephen H. Wakeman for $165,000, which included an important selection of works by

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (né Hathorne; July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associat ...

. Hellman wrote one of the first biographies of

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

in 1925. Scholars were divided on the work's historical merit as the book focused more on Irving's life rather than his literary career. Hellman's approach was criticized as "informal and anecdotal", but the book was also described as "the best biography of Irving that has been written". Hellman became a trustee of the Arts Council of the City of New York in 1927. In 1938 he began work on the first biography of

Benjamin Cardozo Benjamin Nathan Cardozo (May 24, 1870 – July 9, 1938) was an American lawyer and jurist who served on the New York Court of Appeals from 1914 to 1932 and as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1932 until his deat ...

, though

Irving Lehman Irving Lehman (January 28, 1876 – September 22, 1945) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1940 until his death in 1945. Biography He was born on January 28, 1876, in New ...

, Hellman's friend and Cardozo's executor, denied him access to Cardozo's personal papers. Hellman was also a known as a collector of drawings. Part of his collection, including works by

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...

Carracci The Carracci ( , , {{IPA, it, karˈrattʃi, lang) were a family of Italian artists. Notable members include: * the three members who worked together and are known collectively as the Carracci, i.e.: ** Agostino Carracci (1557–1602), Italian pa ...

, and Fragonard, was shown in 1920 at

Anderson Galleries Anderson Galleries began as an auctioner of books, and prints in New York City and comprised the Anderson Auction Company and Metropolitan Art Association. It was founded by John Anderson Jr. in 1900 and later renamed Anderson Galleries. In 1917, th ...

. Hellman's 1927 book ''Lanes of Memory'' describes his experiences as an art collector and the development of his collection. Hellman died in 1958 in Monsey, New York.

Bibliography

* ''The Hudson and Other Poems''. New York: G.P. Putnam, 1909. * '' Memoirs of the Comte de Mercy Argenteau''. 1917. * '' Letters of Henry Brevoort to Washington Irving''. 1918. * '' Letters of Washington Irving to Henry Brevoort''. 1918. * ''The True

Stevenson Stevenson is an English language patronymic surname meaning "son of Steven". Its first historical record is from pre-10th-century England. Another origin of the name is as a toponymic surname related to the place Stevenstone in Devon, England. The ...

: A Study in Clarification''. Boston: Little, Brown, 1925. * ''Washington Irving, Esquire: Ambassador at Large from the New World to the Old''. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1925. * ''Lanes of Memory''. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1927. * ''Peacock's Feather''. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1931. * ''Benjamin N. Cardozo, American Judge''. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1940.

References

External links

Finding aid for the George Sidney Hellman papers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hellman, George S. American art collectors American book and manuscript collectors American biographers 1878 births 1958 deaths