May 21, 2015 - Sale 2385

Sale 2385 - Lot 73

Unsold
Estimate: $ 4,000 - $ 6,000
(NEW YORK CITY) sidman, h. herbert (active 1890s-1910s)
A group of 33 fine photographs of the Henry W. Poor Mansion in Gramercy Park, including images of the lavish interior and 2 of the exterior, showing ornate decorative objects, an exercise room, a conservatory, a harp, a tiger rug, a large menorah, and a library. Platinum prints, each measuring 13 1/2x10 3/4 inches (34.3x27.3 cm.), and the reverse, each with Sidman's debossed credit and New York address on mount recto. Circa 1903
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Additional Details

Henry W. Poor was a socially and economically prominent New Yorker known for his appreciation of literature, music, and art. He was a securities broker and publisher of the Railroad Manual, and also a scholarly-minded collector whose library rivaled the other great collections in New York at the time.

The well-known architect Stanford White encouraged Poor to purchase 125 and 127 East 21st Street in Gramercy Park, and himself renovated and decorated the interior. With well-proportioned rooms and carefully-rendered architectural elements, the mansion was further filled with opulent items purchased by White in Europe.

Poor lived in the mansion until his firm failed, and he was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1907. The contents of the home were sold, and the mansion later demolished.

A rare gimpse into turn-of-the-century New York City.