Florian Papp

The story

A joiner by trade, Florian Papp arrived at Ellis Island on May 6, 1903, listed on the ship's manifest simply as Floryan Pap, age 20, having sailed from Bremen aboard the Kronprinz Wilhelm. That craftsman's eye for wood and form quietly became the foundation of one of America's oldest antiques galleries. His sons William and Joseph joined him in the 1940s, chasing the New York art world toward 57th Street. In 1955, with William's wife Alice, the second generation settled the gallery on Madison Avenue between East 75th and 76th Streets, where it remains.