Freeman's New Collectors

Time Line 1795 Tristram B. Freeman arrives in Philadelphia. Revolutionary War financier John Nicholson becomes a partner in T.B Freeman & Co. 1797 Tristram B. Freeman employs engraver David Edwin in printing business 1800 Company commences retailing and wholesaling from 136 Market Street 1805 November 12th, Thomas McKean, Governor of the state of Pennsylvania, appoints Tristram B. Freeman to the office of auctioneer in Philadelphia 1808 Company sells estate of Capt. Stephen Decatur 1822 Auction monopoly lifted in Philadelphia, opening the business up to competition 1824 Company begins book sales as auction legislation changes again 1833 Company enters its second generation as T.W.L. Freeman 1838 T.W.L. Freeman sells remarkable chess-playing automation known as The Turk 1839 Freeman's experiences the silk tree bubble 1844 Company enters its third generation as James A. Freeman 1858 Freeman's moves to 422 Walnut Street 1876 Rival Philadelphia auctioneer M. Thomas & Son conducts auctions in wake of Centennial Exposition 1880's Among many major real estate agents transactions, Freeman's sells Philadelphia's Post Office building for $425,000, a record for a single piece of real estate sold at auction 1898 Company is renamed Samuel T. Freeman & Co. 1903 Edmund B. Brickley joins company from department store John Wanamaker, introducing new style and fine art to Freeman's galleries 1905 Freeman's celebrates 100th anniversary 1908 Company acquires business of M. Thomas & Son. Stan V. Henkels, a specialist in historical autographs and portraiture, joins firm as a consultant 1919 Freeman's sells celebrated Gilbert Stuart full-length portrait of George Washington 1920 Freeman's purchases the name and goodwill of J. E. Conant Co., Lowell, Mass 1922 Freeman's conducts the Nitro, West Virginia sale - the largest sale in the company's history 1923 The auction house moves to its present location at 1808 Chestnut Street; the first purposely-built auction house, designed by architects: Tilden & Register. The first major sale here included Penn's Charter of Liberties 1924 Company sells US Navy battleships 1927 Company sells remnants of Philadelphia's Sesquicentennial exhibition 1930's Company conducts mill sales across New England 1940's Great estate sales include Eva Stotesbury dispersals 1960 Addison B. Freeman Jr. dies in the Boston Harbor Air Crash 1962 Company sells desk reputed to be Benjamin Franklin's to Independence National Park 1969 Freeman's discovers Dunlap copy of Declaration of Independence at Leary's Book Store. It sells for $404,000 1980 Freeman's celebrates 175 years in business with the sale of Edward Hicks' Peaceable Kingdom for $210,000 1988 Freeman's merges with Fine Arts of Philadelphia and becomes Freeman Fine Arts 1997 Freeman's sells Tucker porcelain urns for record $265,000 1998 Freeman's reverts to name of Samuel T. Freeman & Co. 1999 Paul Roberts of Lyon and Turnbull in Edinburgh joins Freeman's as president 2000 Marketing alliance is formed with Scottish firm Lyon & Turnbull 2001 Alasdair Nichol, head of fine art department, initiates the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts sales and student scholarship 2004 The Old Mill, Washington's Crossing, a winter landscape by Edward Willis Redfield sells for $691,250 2005 Freeman's celebrates 200th Anniversary