Born in the
Free City of Frankfurt, Seligmann moved to Paris in 1874 where he worked for Paul Chevallier, an auctioneer, and Charles Mannheim, an art expert, before opening his own business on the Rue des Mathurins in 1880 with
Edmond de Rothschild as one of his early clients. In 1900, together with his brothers Arnold and Simon, he established the firm
Jacques Seligmann & Cie. which moved the same year to the
Place Vendôme. Seligman opened a New York office in 1904, visiting it once a year. His customers included members of the Russian
Stroganoff family, the high-flying British politician
Sir Philip Sassoon and American collectors such as
Benjamin Altman,
William Randolph Hearst,
J. P. Morgan,
Henry Walters, and
Joseph Widener. In 1920, his son Germain Seligman became a partner and president of the New York office, formally joining Jacques Seligmann & Fils. Seligmann died in Paris in October 1923. ==Honours==