SECOND HALF 19TH CENTURY

Elizabeth Parke married Harvey S. Firestone, Jr., heir to the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in 1921. Mrs. Firestone cultivated an early appreciation for historical culture and decorative arts from family members with a enthusiasm for collecting as well as from spending time in Europe during her schooling. After her marriage, she traveled with her husband on his business trips to every corner of the globe. Elizabeth Parke Firestone's core collecting years were the late 1940s through 1970. As a collector she sought perfection above all else, and she took great pleasure in the actual hunt. She devoured books, gleaned valuable information from dealers and curators and followed the auction market closely. The result of her impeccable taste and passionate connoisseurship was one of finest and most extensive assemblages of French 18th Century decorative and fine arts in the United States.