Philip Rosenbach

The second of eight children born to Morris and Isabella Rosenbach, Philip Hyman Rosenbach was born in Philadelphia and would continue to call that city home for his entire life. His father was a clothing merchant, his mother deeply involved with the Jewish community in Philadelphia. Philip’s life would become closely entwined with that of his youngest sibling, Abraham, known to the world as A.S.W. Rosenbach.

As a young man, Philip moved between business opportunities, opening a stationary store with money borrowed from his family, followed by a restaurant, and then a gift shop, selling statuettes, cards, prints, vases, and the like. Abraham would come work in the shop as a student at the University of Pennsylvania, though they struggled to make it profitable. In 1903, Philip convinced his uncle Moses Polock, then in declining health, to let him take over his rare books and antiques business, which had been a beacon to America’s writers, collectors, and publishers. After Abraham completed his Ph.D at the University of Pennsylvania, he joined Philip to launch the Rosenbach Company, the younger brother overseeing books and manuscripts, the elder furniture and art.

Over the course of their careers, the Rosenbachs amassed one of the greatest collections of rare books and manuscripts, donating much to the Free Library of Philadelphia, and helping put together collections for the Huntington Library and the Folger Shakespeare Library, among others. The two brothers even lived together for more than two decades, until Philip’s death. The bulk of their collection would go to the establishment of the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia.

Philip Rosenbach

c. 1865