Sack, Israel

Sack, Israel (1883–1959) antiques dealer; born in Kaunas, Lithuania. He became apprenticed to a cabinetmaker when young, then became a woodworker in England. He emigrated to Boston (1903), worked as a cabinetmaker, and by 1905 had opened his own business. In the 1920s he was an influential antiques dealer and had established additional shops in other areas of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York City. In 1939 he consolidated his business in New York City; after 1955 it was managed by his three sons. He was one of the first to appreciate American antique furniture and furnishings and he effectively collected the works for the American wing of New York City's Metropolitan Museum and for Colonial Williamsburg.