Guide to the Records of B. Altman & Co.
1876-1955 (Bulk 1881-1933)
MS 31
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024
Phone: (212) 873-3400
@ 2011 New-York Historical Society
Collection processed by Processed by Melissa Haley
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit
on October 19, 2011
Description is in
English.
Descriptive Summary
| Title: | B. Altman & Co. Records |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1876-1955 (Bulk 1881-1933) |
| Abstract: | Employee records, financial records, legal papers, estate material, correspondence, and miscellaneous items of B. Altman & Co. The collection also includes material relating to B. Altman & Co. president Michael Friedsam (president 1931-1931). |
| Quantity: | 3.5 Linear feet (2 boxes, 18 volumes) |
| Location note: | Manuscript cage |
| Call Phrase: | MS 31 |
Historical Note
| 1865 | B. Altman & Co. founded by Benjamin Altman as a small dry-goods store at 39 Third Ave., New York City. |
| c1873 | Michael Friedsam, future president, joins B. Altman & Co. |
| 1876 | Store moves to 627 Sixth Ave. (at 19th St.); new store known as the "Palace of Trade." |
| 1909 | Friedsam becomes Vice President. |
| 1913 | Benjamin Altman dies; Friedsam takes over as President of B. Altman & Co. and the Altman Foundation. |
| 1914 | Store moves to a twelve-story building on Fifth Ave., between 34th & 35th Streets. |
| 1931 | Friedsam dies; John S. Burke succeeds Friedsam as B. Altman & Co. president. |
| 1989 | Owner L.J. Hooker Corp. declares bankruptcy; company ceases operations. |
(Sources: Encyclopedia of New York; B. Altman & Co.'s Enlarged Store(1914); Joseph Devorkin, Great Merchants of Early New York; Robert Hendrickson, The Grand Emporiums; New York Times.)
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of two boxes and 18 bound volumes, and is organized into ten series. Items are arranged chronologically within each series. The bulk of the material is located in Series I. President Michael Friedsam and Series II. Employee Records, 1876-1917. The Friedsam series contains mostly correspondence, 1915-1918; also news clippings and stock and bond receipts. Other significant series include financial records (bills, receipts, checks, bonds), legal records such as copyright and trademark registrations, and material relating to the estate of Benjamin Altman. The smaller series in this collection contain correspondence, a study of shopping habits, electrical equipment inspection certificates, and medals. The B. Altman & Co. Papers do not include any trade catalogs or company advertisements.
The B. Altman & Co. Papers support research in the fields of New York City business and department store administrative history in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The twelve volumes of employee records may also reveal details useful to genealogists, labor historians, and women's historians, as many include summaries of workers' lives. In addition, the Michael Friedsam material contains correspondence pertaining to philanthropy, art collecting, New York City mayoral politics, and domestic efforts during the first World War.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically within each series.
Organized into the following ten series:
- Series I. President Michael Friedsam, 1915-1933, undated
- Series II. Employee Records, 1876-1918
- Series III. Financial Records, 1887-1955
- Series IV. Legal Records, 1913-1953
- Series V. Benjamin Altman Estate Material, 1913-1919
- Series VI. Correspondence, 1915-1939, undated
- Series VII. Study of Shopping Habits, 1936
- Series VIII. Electrical Equipment Inspection Certificates, 1906
- Series IX. Publications, 1917, undated
- Series X. Medals, 1917
Access Points
Subject Names
- Altman, Benjamin, 1840-1913
- Friedsam, Michael, 1860?-1931
Document Type
- Certificates
- Checks
- Clippings
- Correspondence
- Estate records
- Invitations
- Invoices
- Legal documents
- Medals
- Receipts
Subject Topics
- Associations, institutions, etc
- Bonds
- Charities
- Corporations--Charitable contributions
- Department stores--Employees
- Department stores--New York (State)--New York
- Malicious prosecution--New York (State)--New York
- Shopping
- Stocks
Administrative Information
Provenance
Purchased at auction, 1990.
Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers.
Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to twenty exposures of stable, unbound material per day. (Researchers may not accrue unused copy amounts from previous days.)
Use Restrictions
Permission to quote from this collection in a publication must be requested and granted
in writing. Send permission requests, citing the name of the collection from which
you wish to quote, to
Library Director
The New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as B. Altman & Co. Records, The New-York Historical Society.
Container List
Series I. President Michael Friedsam, 1915-1933, undated
Scope and Contents noteContains material relating to B. Altman & Co. President Michael Friedsam (President, 1913-1931), divided into four subseries. |
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| Subseries 1. Correspondence, 1915-1918, undated
Scope and Contents noteIncludes material relating to B. Altman & Co., the Altman Foundation, the Fifth Avenue Association, the Fusion Committee of 1917, charitable organizations, and Friedsam's art collection. Also included are letters from jobseekers and letters of introduction, congratulatory and thank you letters, and wedding and funeral invitations. |
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box: 1 | Folder : 1 | Letters received |
1915-1916 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 2 | Letters received |
1917 Jan.-June | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 3 | Letters received |
1917 July-Dec. | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 4 | Letters received |
1918 Jan.-June | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 5 | Letters received |
1918 July-Dec. | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 6 | Letters received |
Undated | |
| Subseries 2. Associations, clubs, and charity material, 1917-1918, undated
Scope and Contents noteIncludes donation lists, meeting minutes, circulars re: luncheon and dinner meetings, and report. Organizations include the Uptown Club (minutes), the Friars club, Merchant's Association, Harmonie Club, and unidentified organizations. |
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 7 | Associations, clubs, charity material |
1917-1918, undated | |
| Subseries 3. Stock and bond records, 1921-1933
Scope and Contents noteIncludes records for Friedsam and the Delion Corp.: industrial, bank, mining, oil, public utilities, and railroad stocks and bonds; city and state bonds. |
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Volume: Vol | Folder : | Stock and bond records, M. Friedsam/ Delion Corp. |
1921-1933 | |
| Subseries 4. News clippings, 1929-1931
Scope and Contents noteClippings from New York City newspapers regarding Friedsam, including social events, charity work, the Fifth Avenue Association, and B. Altman & Co. |
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Volume: Vol | Folder : | News clippings re: Michael Friedsam |
1929-1931 | |
|
|
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Series II. Employee Records, 1876-1918
Scope and Contents noteThese volumes contain names of B. Altman & Co. employees; most include dates of employment and residence. Also included in some volumes are remarks on employees by supervisors and references. A number of volumes contain amendments added after the employee left B. Altman & Co. The three index volumes do not correspond to other volumes in this series. These volumes have been numbered for retrieval purposes. |
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Volume: [1] | Folder : | Employee Records: name, residence, references |
1876-1894 | |
| Volume: [2] | Folder : | Employee Records: name, department, residence, dates of employment, references, notes |
1877-1882 | |
| Volume: [3] | Folder : | Employee Records: name, dates of employment, wages |
1881-1891 | |
| Volume: [4] | Folder : | Employee Records: name, residence, dates of employment, references, notes |
1885-1896 | |
| Volume: [5] | Folder : | Employee Records: name, residence, department, dates of employment, references, notes
( all employees in this volume hired 1887-1893; some records later amended) |
1887-1914 | |
| Volume: [6] | Folder : | Employee Records: name, position, residence, dates of employment, references, notes |
1894-1899 | |
| Volume: [7] | Folder : | Employee Records: name, residence, position, dates of employment, references, notes
(all employees in this volume hired 1899; some records later amended) |
1899-1914 | |
| Volume: [8] | Folder : | Employee Records: name, department, dates of employment, remarks. Vol. 1: A-K |
1899-1918 | |
| Volume: [9] | Folder : | Employee Records: name, department, dates of employment, remarks. Vol. 2: L-Z |
1899-1918 | |
| Volume: [10] | Folder : | Employee Records: Index |
1900-1913 | |
| Volume: [11] | Folder : | Employee Records: Index |
1903-1917 | |
| Volume: [12] | Folder : | Employee Records: Index: "Workroom Employees" |
1903-1914 | |
|
|
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Series III. Financial Records, 1887-1955
Scope and Contents noteIncludes receipts for items sold at auction, real estate and charity receipts, municipal bills, checks (most signed by Benjamin Altman), bonds, and contribution records. |
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Volume: Vol | Folder : | Contribution records. Includes names of contributors and organizations, items donated,
donation amount. |
1932-1933 | |
| Volume: Vol | Folder : | Receipts for fur items sold at auction June 15, 1954; receipts 1955. |
1942-1955 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 8 | Bills, receipts, accounts |
1909-1916 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 9 | Bills, receipts, accounts |
1917-1931 | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 1 | Bonds |
1887, 1914-1924 | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 2 | Checks |
1905-1914 | |
|
|
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Series IV. Legal Records, 1913-1953
Scope and Contents noteIncludes copyright and trademark certificates of registration and a trial transcript, Weitsman v. B. Altman & Co., case of "malicious prosecution," involving stolen goods. |
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Volume: Vol | Folder : | Trial transcript |
1916 | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 3 | Copyright and trademark Certificates of Registration |
1913-1950 | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 4 | Copyright and trademark Certificates of Registration |
1951-1953 | |
|
|
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Series V. Benjamin Altman Estate Material, 1913 --1919
Scope and Contents noteIncludes B. Altman & Co. stock and bond material; property assessments of the Fifth Ave. store, stables, and other real estate holdings; correspondence regarding execution of Altman's will; surrogate court records; summary of Altman's donation of art to the Metropolitan Museum; material regarding employee life insurance, employee legacies, and the Altman Foundation. |
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 5 | Estate material |
1913-1914 | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 6 | Estate material |
1915-1919 | |
|
|
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Series VI. Correspondence, 1915 -- 1939, undated
Scope and Contents noteLetters to John S. Burke re: charitable donations, bonds, social engagements, Arts & Decoration magazine, and other topics. Many concern Michael Friedsam. Other letters received in this series include letters to B. Altman & Co. employees (especially Milton M. Klein), unsigned copies of letters to Washington Times owner Arthur Brisbane, and requests to B. Altman & Co. for charitable contributions. |
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 7 | John S. Burke, letters received |
1916-1918 | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 8 | Letters received by others |
1915-1939, undated | |
|
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Series VII. Study of Shopping Habits, 1936
|
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Volume: Vol | Folder : | "A Study of Shopping Habits and Attitudes Toward Department Stores" prepared for B.
Altman & Co. |
1936 | |
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Series VIII. Electrical Equipment Inspection Certificates, 1906
Scope and Contents noteFrom the New York City Dept. of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity's Electrical Bureau and the New York Board of Fire Underwriters. |
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 9 | Electrical equipment inspection certificates |
1906 | |
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Series IX. Publications, 1917, undated
|
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 10 | Arts and Decoration magazine (June 1917); "The D.M. Read Co." |
1917; undated | |
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Series X. Medals, 1917
Scope and Contents notePossibly belonging to Michael Friedsam. Commemorating the French and British War Commission, the Imperial Japanese Commission, and the Catskill Aqueduct Celebration. |
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Box: 2 | Folder : 11 | Medals |
1917 | |
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