The Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Collection of Early American Judaica
Item
Country
US
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
eng
Contact information: postal address
Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, 3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206
Contact information: phone number
001 215 898 7088
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
kislak@pobox.upenn.edu
Reference number
Arc.MS.56
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (official language of the state)
The Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Collection of Early American Judaica
Language of title
eng
Creator / accumulator
Arnold and Deanne Kaplan
Date note
18th century/19th century
Language(s)
deu
dut
eng
fra
heb
lad
por
yid
Type of material
Textual Material
Graphic Material
Photographic Images
Object
Scope and content
The Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Collection of Early American Judaica is particularly focused on the evolution of Jewish business life in the Americas since colonial times. It includes financial records disclosing the trading activities of Jewish family businesses during the 18th and 19th centuries, ledgers and correspondence from the late 18th century documenting Jewish commercial networks in North America, and numerous sources of information on the activities of Jewish peddlers, craftsmen, and small business owners. The collection contains original materials related to trade activity, such as billheads, receipts, trade (or advertising) cards, cartes-de-visite, pamphlets, and even objects such as bottles and spoons. It also includes what may be the single most extensive collection of early Jewish photography in the United States. Original oil paintings, textile samplers, pastels, watercolours, handwritten sketches, lithographs, silverware, and military artefacts are other highlights of this collection.
The Kaplan Judaica Collection is also an essential source of information on the Sephardic diaspora in Colonial North America. It includes numerous documents regarding Aaron Lopez's commercial activity and personal life, including letters to vessels' captains (namely John Hyer, Thomas Folger, Nathaniel Briggs, and Nathaniel Hathaway), several receipts, ledger sheets, deeds, lawsuits, bills of sale, and a miniature portrait of his only daughter, Abigail Lopez Gomez. Letters from and to Isaac Gomez of Barbados, E. H. Lindo, Tobias I. Tobias, Henry Tobias, and Sabato Morais could also be found in this collection, as well as the inventory of the estate of Abraham de Lucena of New York (1726), receipts of Jacob Rodriguez Rivera, and a court record involving Solomon de Medina and other merchants in London, as well as Rodrigo Pacheco, Jacob de Lara, and Manuel Vaz de Costa in New York (1727). This collection also comprises materials relating to the Mendes Seixas family, such as court records, ledger sheets and deeds of Benjamin Seixas, receipts of Moses Seixas, and several newspaper clippings. One of its highlights is a reprinting of the letters exchanged between Moses Seixas, on behalf of the Jews of Newport, and George Washington at the occasion of his inauguration as the first president of the United States.
Other Sephardic families are also well-represented in this collection, such as the Nunes Carvalho, with letters and carte-de-visites related to Solomon Nunes Carvalho and his relatives; and the Touro, including correspondence and receipts from Judah Touro and the will of Abraham Touro (1822).
The Kaplan Judaica Collection is also an essential source of information on the Sephardic diaspora in Colonial North America. It includes numerous documents regarding Aaron Lopez's commercial activity and personal life, including letters to vessels' captains (namely John Hyer, Thomas Folger, Nathaniel Briggs, and Nathaniel Hathaway), several receipts, ledger sheets, deeds, lawsuits, bills of sale, and a miniature portrait of his only daughter, Abigail Lopez Gomez. Letters from and to Isaac Gomez of Barbados, E. H. Lindo, Tobias I. Tobias, Henry Tobias, and Sabato Morais could also be found in this collection, as well as the inventory of the estate of Abraham de Lucena of New York (1726), receipts of Jacob Rodriguez Rivera, and a court record involving Solomon de Medina and other merchants in London, as well as Rodrigo Pacheco, Jacob de Lara, and Manuel Vaz de Costa in New York (1727). This collection also comprises materials relating to the Mendes Seixas family, such as court records, ledger sheets and deeds of Benjamin Seixas, receipts of Moses Seixas, and several newspaper clippings. One of its highlights is a reprinting of the letters exchanged between Moses Seixas, on behalf of the Jews of Newport, and George Washington at the occasion of his inauguration as the first president of the United States.
Other Sephardic families are also well-represented in this collection, such as the Nunes Carvalho, with letters and carte-de-visites related to Solomon Nunes Carvalho and his relatives; and the Touro, including correspondence and receipts from Judah Touro and the will of Abraham Touro (1822).
Archival history
Arnold and Deanne Kaplan began collecting in the early 1970s at Renninger's Antique Market near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They also travelled to paper and book shows in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New England. Beginning in the early 1980s, they became active in auctions in New York. With the growth of the World Wide Web in the 1990s, the Kaplans discovered yet another source for collectables. In addition to the Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Collection of Early American Judaica, the Kaplans also built a small collection of American non-Jewish material in the course of their decades of collecting together.
In 2012, they donated their Judaica collection to the University of Pennsylvania Libraries.
In 2012, they donated their Judaica collection to the University of Pennsylvania Libraries.
Administrative / Biographical history
Arnold H. Kaplan is retired from UnitedHealth Group, where he served as chief financial officer. Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group, Kaplan was senior vice president and chief financial officer for Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. He is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Kaplan received his bachelor of science degree in commerce and engineering from Drexel University in 1962. He received a master's of science degree in industrial administration from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1964. Kaplan served on the board of the American Jewish Historical Society and is a trustee of the UnitedHealth Group Charitable Remainder Trust. He and his wife Deanne currently reside in the Sarasota area of Florida.
Deanne Kaplan, originally from Pittsburgh, holds a degree in history from the University of Pittsburgh. She taught history and was active in Jewish communal life, having served as the local chapter president of Hadassah (the Women’s Zionist Organization) in Allentown and in West Chester.
Deanne Kaplan, originally from Pittsburgh, holds a degree in history from the University of Pittsburgh. She taught history and was active in Jewish communal life, having served as the local chapter president of Hadassah (the Women’s Zionist Organization) in Allentown and in West Chester.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
Access, restrictions
Digital copies of the collection's records are available online:
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2022
Linked resources
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| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts - University of Pennsylvania Libraries | Collections (official language of the state) |