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Simon Gratz portrait collection
Simon Gratz (1840-1925) was among the most recognized and respected Jewish Americans in the city of Philadelphia. He was born into one of the city's oldest and most notable families. He inherited a legacy of high ambition and accomplishment going back to the family’s earliest settlers in the Un...
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| Collection: | Simon Gratz Portrait Collection |
| Collection Number: | 3277 |
| Format: | Manuscript |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects and Genres: | |
| Online Access: | Link to finding aid |
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| Physical Description: |
19.05 Linear feet ; 68 boxes |
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| Access: |
This collection is open for research. |
| Summary: |
Simon Gratz (1840-1925) was among the most recognized and respected Jewish Americans in the city of Philadelphia. He was born into one of the city's oldest and most notable families. He inherited a legacy of high ambition and accomplishment going back to the family’s earliest settlers in the United States—Barnard and Michael Gratz. The Gratz brothers were most enterprising in shipping, land acquisition, and trading, which allowed for the cementing of the strong and influential relationship between the family and the city. Simon’s father, Edward Gratz, was known for his activities with the construction of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and his most famous aunt, Rebecca Gratz, for her “charm” and philanthropy.
In 1855 Gratz graduated from the Univeristy of Pennsylvania with a bachelors degree, followed by a masters. While apprenticing in Garrick Mallery and Furman Sheppard's law office, he entered the law school at the University of Pennsylvania. He was admitted to the bar and served one term in the Pennsylvania legislature before the age of 21. Leaving office, he was appointed to serve as the assistant city solicitor, which then allowed him to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States.
In 1869 Gratz was appointed to the Philadelphia Board of Public Education and became chairman of the Committee for the Girl’s Normal School. Additionally, he served for two terms as the board’s president pro-tem. He was most known however for helping to improve many schools that were seen as “primitive.” He also served as president of the Board of Revision of Taxes, president of the Board of Trustees of the Free Library of Philadelphia, member of the Board of Trustees of the Jefferson Medical College, and vice-president of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP) and president of its council.
Gratz amassed an expansive manuscript collection, which he donated to HSP in 1917 after resigning from its board. The collection reflects much of his philosophy of leisure and collecting as discussed in his book, A Book About Autographs.
Among the multitude of autographs, correspondence, and other significant documents he acquired, there is a large collection of images. The images include portraits, engravings, and newspaper and periodical clippings, representing noted historical figures in the arts, medicine, the military, politics, and science and technology; as well, there is a small section of this collection labeled as “views” of historical events and places in Philadelphia. An even smaller portion includes post cards, programs, greeting cards, playing cards, invitations, and other ephemera. The collection is a continuation of the other Gratz collections (250A, 250B, 1571) at HSP.
The arrangement of this collection into categories has been preserved. Section titles include “Early American Portraits” (Case 18, Box 1 to Case 18, Box 18), “Portraits of Thomas Johnson” (Case 19, Box 1), “American Dramatic Portraits” (Case 19, Box 2; and Case 19, Box 18 and 19), “American Portraits” (Case 19, Box 3 to Case 19, Box 13), “Views of Philadelphia and Printed Account of the City” (Case 19, Box 14), “Portraits Inlaid” (Case 19, Box 15 and 16), “Portraits of Civil War Officers/Confederate Generals” (Case 19, Box 17), “Early American military and Naval Views” (Case 19, Box 17), “Foreign Portraits” (Case 19, Box 19 to 21), “Dramatic Portraits-Foreign” (Case 19, Box 22), “European Clergy, Literary and Military Figures” (Case 19, Box 23).Case 19, Boxes 24 to 27 includes miscellaneous and unidentified images and ephemeral items as noted above. As well, there were two “series” of images which initially did not seem to be a distinct set but to maintain the original order, these final portions of the collection were simply renumbered Case A1 (Boxes 1 – 4) and Case A2 (Boxes 1 – 7). The last set labeled Portraits (Case A3) consists of misplaced images, and those that were removed from other boxes because of size.
In the end, Simon Gratz sought “intellectual amusement” through autograph collecting which, as he once noted, was “good for the body, as well as the mind,” and allowed him to “seek occasional relief from the tedium and cares of active professional or business life, by turning to [his] chosen hobby for relaxation and quiet pleasure.” From such quiet engagements was born the several Simon Gratz collections, including the portrait collection. |