Freeman's, formerly known as Samuel T. Freeman & Co., is an

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

house in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, United States. It was founded in 1805 by Tristram B. Freeman, a print seller who came to America from London.

History

After an order from Pennsylvania Governor

Thomas McKean Thomas McKean (March 19, 1734June 24, 1817) was an American lawyer, politician, and Founding Father. During the American Revolution, he was a Delaware delegate to the Continental Congress, where he signed the Continental Association, the United ...

, Freeman was appointed to the office of auctioneer in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, where he subsequently began the company. Over the years Freeman's has grown both nationally, opening regional offices throughout the US, and internationally, expanding into the European market after forming an alliance with Lyon & Turnbull in 2000. Tristram Freeman

Located at 2400 Market Street, Freeman's offers over 25 in-house auctions a year in sale categories including: American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts, English & Continental Furniture & Decorative Arts, Asian Arts, American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionists, European Art & Old Masters, Modern and Contemporary Art, Books, Maps & Manuscripts, 20th Century Design, Jewelry & Watches, and Silver & Objets de Vertu. In 2016, the company's controlling interest was transferred to the current management team of Hanna Dougher, Chief Operating Officer; Alasdair Nichol, then-Vice Chairman; and Paul Roberts, President, in a friendly management buy-out. The current Chairman of Freeman's is Alasdair Nichol, who assumed the role after Samuel M “Beau” Freeman II, the sixth generation of the Freeman family to run the auction house, died in June 2017.

Notable auction records

On September 10, 2011, Freeman's held an auction that brought $3.5 million for
Jade seal
triple the highest sale in the company's history. Other notable auction records set at Freeman's include a sculpture by

Wharton Esherick Wharton Esherick (July 15, 1887 – May 6, 1970) was an American sculptor who worked primarily in wood, especially applying the principles of sculpture to common utilitarian objects. Consequently, he is best known for his sculptural furniture a ...

as part of their annual Pennsylvania Sale in November 2014. In November 2017, a draped canvas painting by

Sam Gilliam Sam Gilliam ( ; November 30, 1933 – June 25, 2022) was an American color field painter and lyrical abstractionist artist. Gilliam was associated with the Washington Color School, a group of Washington, D.C.-area artists that developed a form ...

sold for $370,000. Both lots set auction records for the respective artist. Freeman's set a company record in November 2017 when a rare, Belle Époque fancy vivid yellow diamond pendant by J.E. Caldwell and Co. sold for $760,000, making it the most expensive piece of jewelry the house had ever sold. In the European Art and Old Masters Auction in February 2021,

Carl Moll Carl Julius Rudolf Moll (23 April 1861 – 13 April 1945) was a prominent art nouveau painter active in Vienna at the start of the 20th century. He was one of the artists of the Vienna Secession who took inspiration from the pointillist techniqu ...

's "Weißes Interieur (White Interior)" sold for $4,756,000. This rediscovered masterpiece was Freeman’s highest selling lot to date, surpassing the house’s 2011 record of $3.1m achieved by an important Imperial white jade seal from the Qianlong period.

Collections

Freeman's has been entrusted with the sale of some of the world's most fascinating collections of fine art and antiques, including the

Richard M. Scrushy Richard Marin Scrushy Matulich 2008: 337 (born August 1952) is an American businessman and convicted felon. He is the founder of HealthSouth Corporation, a global healthcare company based in Birmingham, Alabama. Matulich 2008: 338 In 2004, follow ...

Collection, The Lehman Brothers Collection, Property from the

Reed & Barton Reed & Barton was a prominent American silversmith manufacturer based in the city of Taunton, Massachusetts, operating between 1824 and 2015. Its products include sterling silver and silverplate flatware. The company produced many varieties of br ...

Archives, The Avon Collection of Photography and The Collection of Historic USS Constitution Colors of H. Richard Dietrich, Jr. The March 2014 sale of The George D. Horst Collection of Fine Art resulted in 20 auction records for artists including Howard Russell Butler, Emil Carlsen, and Fred Wagner. The December 2016 sale of The Brewster Collection offered paintings, furniture, and decorative items from Nancy and Andre Brewster, who were both respected activists and philanthropists. In April 2016, Freeman's hosted 1,000 Years of Collecting, which offered property from the private Washington, D.C. collection of Jeffrey M. Kaplan. The 465-lot sale was offered in two sessions, with 99% sold by dollar and 96% by lot, totaling over $1.2 million in sales. In May 2017, Freeman's sold paintings and prints fro
The Stanley Bard Collection
, the late manager of the famed Chelsea Hotel. The auction included a painting by

Tom Wesselmann Thomas K. Wesselmann (February 23, 1931 – December 17, 2004) was an American artist associated with the Pop Art movement who worked in painting, collage and sculpture. Early years Wesselmann was born in Cincinnati. From 1949 to 1951 he atte ...

, “Face #1,” which sold for $958,000 .

References

External links

Freeman's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman's Auctioneers and Appraisers American auction houses American companies established in 1805 Retail companies established in 1805 Companies based in Philadelphia 1805 establishments in Pennsylvania