An inconspicuous door in the Park Avenue showroom of James
Robinson, Inc, opens to a narrow staircase lined with vintage
photographs of the people and places of old New York. Portraits
of the dapper Robinson and his brother-in-law and successor
Edward Munves, Sr, join views of the half dozen galleries that
the company has occupied since its founding in 1912. The sequence
illustrates both the restless impermanence of the Manhattan
skyline and the sheer longevity of the city's finest antiques
emporia.
Over the years, many of these firms have been members of the
National Antique and Art Dealers Association of America. Since
its founding in 1954, the by-invitation-only organization has
stood for the virtues encouraging such durability: expertise and
ethical practices; a visceral passion for objects coupled with a
stubborn commitment to one's craft; a reliance on family; and,
not least of all, a desire to pass accumulated wisdom to
succeeding generations.
Gilded-Age mansions still studded Upper Fifth Avenue when James
Robinson began selling antique silver and Chinese porcelain there
in the 1920s. Before and after World War II, many of New York's
leading dealers, Robinson among them, moved to 57th Street,
giving rise to the thoroughfare's reputation as one of the
world's most rarified rialtos.
