Marker Denotes 'Gifts' of Rosenbach Brothers

A stiff breeze stirred the early spring air on the morning of April 2, as more than 40 employees, docents and trustees gathered on the sidewalk outside the elegant townhouses marked 2008-2010 Delancey Place. They were there to join representatives of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in unveiling a marker that honors Dr. Abraham S.W. Rosenbach, a dealer in rare books and manuscripts, and himself an avid collector and scholar, who, with the help of his brother, left behind a rich legacy.

A scrupulous businessman, Rosenbach searched the world over for significant finds. While he sold the bulk of what he uncovered -- usually for far more than he paid for it -- he also kept those pieces that most intrigued him. He built a fortune by catering to select clients who paid him handsomely for his diligence -- and made his own collection possible.

"He knew what he liked and what people were interested in," explained Katherine Sullivan, a docent at the museum, during a tour of the facility.

She said that Rosenbach used his literary knowledge, insight and passion to amass a collection of rare books, manuscripts and letters. The highlights of the Rosenbach include the handwritten manuscript of James Joyce's Ulysses, an 1865 edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and a rare copy of the Bay Psalm Book, which dates to 1640, as well as more than 100 George Washington letters and numerous epistles penned by President Abraham Lincoln.

Sullivan noted that the collection includes more than 30,000 rare books, 300,000 manuscripts and 10,000 works of arts in various mediums.

At the marker's unveiling, trustee David Rosenbach Sackey, a grand-nephew of Abraham and his brother Philip Rosenbach, who was the art collector in this fraternal duo, recalled his relatives' eccentric tendencies and their philanthropic endeavors.

But he also acknowledged that Abraham Rosenbach, whom he fondly referred to as "Uncle Abe," instilled in him a love of reading and learning.

As a child, Sackey said that he visited his relatives, and remembered that his Uncle Abe would read to him from first editions -- "but I couldn't touch them." He heard the story of The Whale -- before it was published as Moby Dick -- and The Life of George Washington, a particular favorite that, Sackey said, "we read together many times."

In the later years of Rosenbach's life, he and his brother shared the multi-story brick residence at 2010 Delancey -- now home to the museum and library.

Neither brother married nor had any children; their personal possessions were bequeathed to found the museum, as a lasting gift to the city. The purchase of the adjoining home at 2008 Delancey in recent years doubled the size of the museum and allowed for additional collections to be put on display.

The blue-and-yellow, 7-foot-tall marker outside the museum reads: A.S.W. Rosenbach (1876-1952) "Among America's most influential rare book dealers, he helped build many of the nation's great libraries. He and his brother Philip established the Rosenbach Museum & Library to share their personal collection with the public. They lived on this block from 1926 until 1952."

The dedication of the historic marker is "a great culmination for the family to see," said Sackey, adding that there are about a half-dozen or so Rosenbach descendants today. "This is a wonderful day for the family."

Pennsylvania Historic Markers "attract the public and educate them about our history," said the Honorable Janet S. Klein, commissioner of the PHMC and a former trustee of the museum, during the ceremony.

She added that the program recognizes significant people and structures "that have made a difference in our lives."