The Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection Accessible From Library of Congress
The Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection stands out among the distinguished resources of the Rare Book and Special Collections Division of The Library of Congress. Taking the illustrated book as its central theme and containing books from the last six centuries and manuscripts from the three preceding, the collection's greatest strengths are in the fifteenth century woodcut books, early sixteenth-century illustrated books, William Blake, and twentieth-century livres des peintres. Within this grand design the late Mr. Rosenwald sought books produced by the earliest printers and outstanding presses of later periods, and books on the following subjects: science, calligraphy, botany, and chess. The catalog describing the collection published in 1978 contains 2,653 entries, many for books represented by more than one copy. The items in this web presentation are organized by Rosenwald catalog number.
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Lessing Julius Rosenwald (February 10, 1891 – June 24, 1979) was an American businessman, a collector of rare books and art, and a chess patron.
Born in Chicago, Lessing J. Rosenwald was the son of Julius Rosenwald, a clothier who became part-owner and was president of Sears, Roebuck and Company from 1908–1923, and chairman from 1923–1932. Lessing went to work for Sears in 1911 as a shipping clerk, and in 1920, was given the important responsibility of opening a catalog supply center for the growing mail-order company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He resided for many years in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.
Succeeding his father, he was Chairman of Sears from 1932 until 1939, when he dedicated himself full-time to collecting rare books and art. In 1943, he pledged to donate his collections to the Library of Congress and the National Gallery of Art, both located in Washington, DC, after his death. Rosenwald was also a chess enthusiast, and donated money to support American chess. He sponsored the U.S. Chess Championship in the 1950s.
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