The American Museum of Natural History
The Museum's Department of Ornithology holds the Rothschild collection of bird skins, an internationally important collection of over 280,000 specimens. The skins were originally collected by Walter Rothschild and kept in his museum at Tring Park. The museum also holds a number of archival and photographic rersources relating to the collection.
Archives nationales du monde du travail (ANMT)
This department of the Archives Nationales holds on deposit the business papers of the Paris bank. Further information about accessing these papers can be found here.
The Arolsen Archives, fomerly known as the International Tracing Service were established by the Western Allies in the final days of the Second World War and initially run by the Red Cross. The Arolsen Archivesare an international center on Nazi persecution with the world’s most comprehensive archive on the victims and survivors of National Socialism. In partnership with the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, Yad Vashem, the Archives have published an online archive with more than 13 million documents featuring information on over 2.2 million people.The database contains a comprehensive collection of documents from concentration camps, including prisoner cards and death notices.
Bank for International Settlements
The mission of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) is to serve central banks in their pursuit of monetary and financial stability, to foster international cooperation in those areas and to act as a bank forcentral banks. BIS has scanned all its historic annual reports online from 1931 to 1996 and they are full ofuseful information to economic and busieness historians.
Banking history in Latin America and Spain
This academic site is conceived as a digital tool to encourage research, professional consultation andteaching regarding the Banking and Financial History of Latin America and Spain.
Lionel Walter Rothschild (1868-1937), in his capacity as the unofficial leader of the British Jewish community, was the 'Lord Rothschild' to whom Balfour addressed his 1917 proposal regarding the establishment of a Jewish state. On November 1st 1917, Lord Rothschild was informally notified that a letter would be sent to him the following day from Foreign Secretary Balfour; that letter was to be the Balfour Declaration. The Balfour agreement became the diplomaticfoundation stone of the state of Israel. Balfour 100 is a website initiated by Jacob, 4th Lord Rothschild and managed by a Steering Committee representing Jewish communal organisations.
Rothschild has a long association with the Bank of England. In 1825, the Bank was sustained by a large payment by the London house of Rothschild. The Bank of England’s Archive contains over 80,000 ledgers, files and individual records relating to all aspects of the history of the Bank and its work, dating from itsfoundation in 1694 to the present.
Barclays Group Archives are home to the records of Barclays PLC and its predecessors, dating from 1567 to the present day.
For much of the nineteenth century, Barings specialised in issuing bearer bonds for overseas governments and businesses, especially railway companies, and this work led to co-operation with the London Rothschild bank on a number of loans. The Baring Archive is owned by ING, which acquired Barings in 1995.
In 1964 Bethsabée Louise Emilie Beatrix de Rothschild (later Batsheva) (1914-1999) established the Batsheva Dance Company with the help of Martha Graham and founded on her principles of dance. Around 1967 she met and became friends with Jeanette Ordman, a classically trained ballet dancer. Bethsabée and Ordman founded the Bat Dor Dance Company in 1968.
Brady Street cemetery, London: Rothschild graves
Brady Street Jewish cemetery in London's east end opened in 1761 and closed in 1858. The cemetery contains some famous occupants, notably Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777-1836), and his wife Hannah (1783-1850). Victor, 3rd Lord Rothschild (1910-1990) was interred at Brady Street in 1990.
The British Library Department of Manuscripts: The Battersea Papers
The Battersea Papers (47909-47964) a collection of diaries and correspondence of Constance de Rothschild (Lady Battersea), her husband, mother, father and sister were gifted to the British Library after Lady Battersea's death.
The British Museum: The Waddesdon Bequest
The Waddesdon Bequest is a collection of around 300 precious objects gathered together in the 19th Century by two members of the Rothschild family and bequeathed to the British Museum by BaronFerdinand de Rothschild in 1898.
Buda Pesth Chain Bridge Archive Records
The two towns of Buda and Pest have faced each other across the Danube for centuries. The idea of building a bridge across the Danube was first proposed by Graf Istvan Széchenyi (1791-1860). To achieve his vision, he gathered a group of powerful financiers, including Baron Salomon von Rothschild (1774-1855). Work began in October 1839, and the bridge was opened to traffic on 21 November 1849. T
The Butrint Foundation was founded in 1993 by Jacob, 4th Lord Rothschild and Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover, to save the remains of the ancient city of Buthrotos
Founded in 1934, the objectives of the Business Archives Council (BAC) are to: promote the preservation of business records of historical importance; supply advice and information on the administration and management of both archives and modern records; and encourage interest in the history of business in Britain.
A substantial quantity of archival material relating to the work of the Palestine Colonisation Association (PICA) is held at the CZA. The archives contain information on individual colonists.
Château Mouton Rothschild: wine labels
One of Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s innovations at Mouton was his introduction of château bottling, necessitating the design of a label unique to Mouton. In 1924, poster designer Jean Carlu was commissioned to create an original label. From 1946 onwards an important contemporary artist was commissioned each year to illustrate the label with an original work. The Mouton website includes a gallery of these unique miniature works of art.
Cultural plunder: database of art objects at the Jeu de Paume (ERR database)
The Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR), the “Special Task Force” was one of the main agenciesengaged in the plunder of cultural valuables in Nazi-occupied countries during the Second World War. A particularly notorious operation by the ERR was the plunder of art from French Jewish and a number of Belgian Jewish collections from 1940 to 1944 that were brought to the Jeu de Paume building in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris for processing. This database brings together registration cards and photographs produced by the ERR covering more than 20,000 art objects taken from Jews in German-occupied France and Belgium, including items from Rothschild family collections.
Charlotte Béatrice de Rothschild (1864-1934) married Baron Maurice Ephrussi in 1883. In 2018, the Archive of the Eprhussi family was donated by the family to the Jewish Museum in Vienna. The Ephrussi Archive contains hundreds of photographs, notebooks, diaries and letters relating to the family’s life in Vienna, Paris, Odessa and Tokyo.
The Eranda Rothschild Foundation
In 1967, the late Sir Evelyn de Rothschild established The Eranda Rothschild Foundation to champion education, healthcare and social welfare. The Foundation supports a wide variety of activities in the sciences and arts.
The European Association for Banking and Financial History
Established in 1990, The European Association for Banking History supports a regular programme of publications, colloquia and conferences dedicated to banking and financial history.
Lionel de Rothschild bought the Exbury estate in 1919, where the terrain was ideal for the rhododendrons which were to become his passion. The Gardens continue to be looked after and developed with loving care by the current generation of Exbury Rothschilds.
The philanthropic foundation of the French Rothschild family manages a number of initiatives that care forthe elderly, the young, the sick.
French Diplomatic Archives, Commission de Récupération Artistique section
The Diplomatic Archives offer fully searchable access to the inventories and digitised archives of the Commission de Récupération Artistique (Commission for Art Recovery) (CRA) section in the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs files, including Les dossiers de réclamations des familles auprès de la Commission de Récupération Artistique (CRA) (Family claims files with the CRA) and Les inventaires de l'Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) (1940-1959)(Inventories of the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) (1940-1959).
Goethe University Frankfurt: Rothschild Library, Frankfurt
The University Library houses the former "Rothschild'sche Bibliothek", that was donated by Hannah Louise in memory of her father Mayer Carl, in 1887. The Judaica Collection Frankfurt has been digitised, including many items relating to the Rothschild family, including a large collection of over 30 years ofpress cutttings concerniing the family.
Gunnersbury was the estate to the west of London purchased by Nathan Mayer Rothschild in 1835. The estate passed through the Rothschild family until 1925, when it was sold to the boroughs of Acton and Ealing by Leopold's son, Lionel, and opened the following year as a public park. The house is now a local history museum.
Now RAF Halton, the house is the former home of Alfred de Rothschild. Visits to the house and gardenscan be arranged by special appointment.
Hidden Treasures: Celebrating Jewish Archives in Britain
Hidden Treasures is a project of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Archives featured on the Hidden Treasures website are part of a national network of state, local and communal archives that enable users to discover more about the history of Jews and the Jewish community in Britain.
Historic England Archive is English Heritage's archive of historic photographs plans and drawings of historic buildings of England. The archive includes the former Royal Commission for Historical Monuments collections. The archive holds many photographs of Rothschild estates and properties, including many formerly held in the archive of the photographic studio of Bedford Lemere.
IDS was established as the Four Per Cent Dwellings Company in 1885 by a group of Jewish philanthropists including Nathaniel, 1st Lord Rothschild who hoped to relieve the overcrowding in homes in the East Endof London. In 1952, it became the Industrial Dwellings Society (1885) Ltd.
Institut national d'histoire de l'art
Created in 2001, the Institut national d'histoire de l'art (INHA), Paris is responsible for developing academic activity and contributing to international academic cooperation in the fields of art history and heritage. In October 2016, the Institut launched the 'Projet Rothschild' to document Rothshcild collections donated to Frenchinstitutions.
The website for information about Jacqueline Piatigorsky (1911-2012), the daughter of Baron Edouard deRothschild. An accomplished artist and sculptor, she spent much of her life creating and developing herown unique artistic identity. She studied piano in her youth, taught herself basoon later and even composed a piece that her cellist husband played in concert. She was inducted into the U.S Chess Hall of Fame for her brilliant tournament achievements.
Jewish Country Houses – Objects, Networks, People is a 5-year research project funded by the Arts andHumanities Research Council commencing in October 2019. The project is a collaboration between the Universities of Oxford, Durham and Cardiff, the National Trust, Waddesdon Manor and Strawberry Hill House, and European partners including the Centre des Monuments Nationaux (France), and the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ).
Housed in a former Rothschild palais on the Untermainkai, the Jewish Museum features a permanentexhibition, Mayer Amschel Rothschild & Sohne, together with comprehensive presentations on the historyof the Jewish community in Frankfurt and a full programme of changing exhibitions.
Many members of the Rothschild family supported and encouraged nursing and medical institutions inFrankfurt. The project Jüdische Pflegegeschichte/Jewish Nursing History – Biographies and Institutions in Frankfurt am Main is devoted to the presentation of the wealth of information related to Jewish nursinghistory in Frankfurt.
The website for information about Joram Piatigorsky. Joram Piatigorsky (born February 24, 1940) is an American molecular biologist and eye researcher at the National Institutes of Health. He is the son of Gregor Piatigorsky and Jacqueline de Rothschild.
The Kitchener Collection, held in the Archive & Reference Library at Milton Keynes City Discovery Centre contains over 1,500 glass negatives and photographic prints taken by commercial photographer Maurice Kitchener between 1920 and 1940. The photographic archive is a fascinating insight into the local area in the early 20th century, and includes photographs of the Rothschild estate, Ascott House, and the village of Wing.
London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) is a public research centre which specialises in the history of London, providing access to the historical archives of businesses, schools, hospitals, charities and all manner of other organisations from the London area. Its collections include a large collection of papers relating to Anglo-Jewry.
Miriam Rothschild and John Foster Human Rights Trust
The John Galway Foster Human Rights Trust was formed in 1986 by Dame Miriam Rothschid, Sir Isaiah Berlin and Lord Lester of Herne Hill in memory of John Foster KBE, QC. In 2006 the name of the trust was altered to include that of Miriam Rothschild. The Trust sponsors an annual lecture.
Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna, Digital Library & Catalogue
The National Library of Austria has digitised many of its collections, including a large number ofpublications, pamphlets and other published documents that make reference to activities of the Rothschild family. Using 'Rothschild' as a search term brings up over 1,800 digitised documents; the search can then be further refined.
Palace House: The National Heritage Centre forHorseracing & Sporting Art
The Palace House estate was first purchased by Mayer de Rothschild (1818-1874), a keen hunter and sportsman, and passed through succeding generations of the family. Today, Palace House is home to three charities: The National Horseracing Museum, The British Sporting Art Trust and Retraining of Rachorses who have come together to create a National Heritage Centre.
The Colburn School, Los Angeles houses the Piatigorsky Archives, the core of which is the personal collection of the cellist Gregor Piatigorsky (1903–1976). Gregor Piatigorsky was the second husband of Jacqueline de Rothschild (1911-2012).
Picpus, Walled Garden of Memory: Digital Archive
The Hôpital Fondation Rothschild, Rue Picpus, Paris was founded by James Rothschild in 1852. The Picpus, Walled Garden of Memory: Digital Archive is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Florence Gould Foundation and the Alumnae Association of Northwestern University.
Photo Seed: early fine-art photography
The Photo Seed website features information and images about early fine-art photography, including information about the Viennese Camera Club. Nathaniel (1836-1905) and Albert (1844-1911) von Rothschild were both members of the Club and both published their work.
Project HOCT: History of Tea in Ceylon
The 'History of Ceylon Tea' Project website contains many useful resources for the study of the tea industry. Maurice Worms, a cousin of the English Rothschilds was arguably the first person to introduce tea to Ceylon with samplings from China being experimented with in 1841.
The National Archives of England & Wales, Kew
The National Archives holds over 1,000 years of the nation's records. The collection includes papers filed in the public domain relating to wills, legacy duties and other estate matters concerning deceased members of the Rothschild family. Other papers concerning the Rothschild family and business will be found in records of the Dominions Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office, records of the Exchequer, records of the Home Office; records of the Royal Mint; records of H M Treasury; records of the War Office; records of the Office of Works; and records of the British Museum. Genealogists seeking information about Rothschild employees at their many estates and residences may find entries in the relevant census returns.
The National Trust: Waddesdon Manor and Ascott House
The National Trust's portfolio of properties includes two houses created by the Rothschilds; Waddesdon Manor, the French-style country house in Buckinghamshire created by Ferdinand de Rothschild in the 1870s, and given to the nation by James and Dorothy de Rothschild in 1957, and Ascott House in Buckinghamshire, the country house created by Lionel de Rothschild in th 1870s, and given to the nation in 1950 by Anthony Gustav de Rothschild.
The Natural History Museum, Tring
The personal museum created by Walter, 2nd Lord Rothschild in the late 19th and early 20th centuries is now part of The Natural History Museum. Many of his specimens are still on display in the Victorian style galleries, and archive material is held at The Natural History Museum in London.
The memorial gardens to the south of Zichron Ya'acov, where Baron Edmond de Rothschild and his wife Adelheid are buried, form the heart of an important programme of ecological and horticultural research.
Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery (1847-1929) married Hannah Rothschild (1851-1890), the only daughter of Mayer de Rothschild. Together they built on the astounding collection of art and fine furniture which her father, Mayer de Rothschild, hadb egun at Mentmore Towers. The Rosebery estates website contains information about the Rosebery estates and the family history and collections.
The Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe
The current Lord Rothschild’s family supports three philanthropic trusts: The Rothschild Foundation focusses solely onthe UK and spans a wide range of charitable activities including the arts, heritage and culture; health careand medical research; social welfare and human rights; housing; conservation and horticulture. In Israel,Yad Hanadiv, continues support for Jewish revival in Palestine begun by Baron Edmond de Rothschild inthe second half of the 19th century. In addition to its diverse grantmaking, Yad Hanadiv funds the operation of the Ramat Hanadiv Nature Park and Memorial Gardens. The Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europes upports initiatives across Europe and continues the family's philanthropic commitment to Jewish causes.
The Royal Institute of British Architects
The RIBA Archive contains many papers concerning architects who carried out private and business commissions for the Rothschilds. RIBApix contains images of properties in Rushbrooke village, Ascott House, Waddesdon Manor.
Formed in 1933, the Library's unique collection of over one million items includes published and unpublished works, press cuttings, photographs and eyewitness testimony. The Wiener Holocaust Library has been collecting material related to the Holocaust, its causes and legacies since 1933. In November 2021, The Wiener Holocaust Museum launched a new digital 'Refugee Map' to explore hundreds of refugee stories from Library’s family paper collections.
This Madrid-based organisation promotes the preservation of material relating to the development of therailway network in Spain and encourages research into the subject. Among its archival holdings are recordsof the Rothschild company that managed the Madrid-Zaragoza-Alicante lines.
Stadt-und Universitatsbibliothek, Frankfurt am Main
The Stadt-und Universitatsbibliothek, Frankfurt am Main houses the former Carl von Rothschild Free Public Library, with a strong collection of works in the arts and humanities. The Library subscribed to an international newspaper cuttings service, which ensured that a copy of every 'Rothschild' article was sent to the Frankfurt Library. The collection, which has been digitised includes over 20,000 cuttings covering 1886-1928.
Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives
Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives holds unique resources for the study of the history of London’s East End, covering Tower Hamlets, a borough formed with the former Metropolitan Boroughs of Bethnal Green, Poplar and Stepney. See Jewish Ancestry Guide for sources relating to the Jewish East End, particularly the Whitechapel and Spitalfields areas from the mid-19th century.
University of Southampton, Special Collections
The University of Southampton has developed a special interest in collections of papers concerning Anglo-Jewry. The Rothschild family and their circle are respresented in their collections, particularly correspondence of Constance, Lady Battersea, (née de Rothschild (1843-1931), and her support for the women’s movement.
Villa & Jardins Ehprussi de Rothschild
Website of the villa Ile-de-France (now a museum) and the gardens created by Baroness (Charlotte) Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild (1863-1934). When Béatricedied in 1934, she left the house complete with contents and gardens to the Académie des Beaux-Arts.
David de Rothschild, the youngest son of the late Sir Evelyn de Rothschild is an adventurer, ecologist, andenvironmentalist. He founded Voice for Nature to create a positive impact for nature.
Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire
Waddesdon Manor, the magnificent chateau created in the 19th century by Ferdinand de Rothschild, is home to an outstanding collection of fine and decorative arts. The Manor is set in extensive grounds withrose garden, aviary and formal parterre.
In May 1912, Charles Rothschild held a meeting to discuss his radical idea about saving places for nature. This meeting led to the formation of the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves, which would become the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. The Trusts hold material relating to Charles Rothschild’s activities in establishing the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves. Note: this original archival material has now been deposited with The Rothschild Archive London; the collection has been digitised by The Wildlife Trusts and is available on The Wildlife Trusts website.
The Vitkovice (or Witkowitz) ironworks were bought by Salomon von Rothschild in 1843. It was Salomon's involvement with Austrian railways that first led the family into an interest in iron and steel production. After the Second World War, the new Czechoslovak Government nationalised the works. The business today is run as the Vitkovice Machinery Group. The company website gives historical information about the works, together with information about the company archive, museum and artwork collections.
World Jewish Relief (formerly the Central British Fund (CBF)) rescued 65,000 people from Europe in the 1930s and 1940s, including 10,000 through the Kindertransport. The CBF Archives, containing the records of 35,000 people, have now been digitised.
Yerusha: Jewish Archives in Europe
Yerusha is an initiative of the Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe that aims to create create an online portal and database that will provide a single, searchable reference point for Jewish archival sources.