Rago Auctions

Samuel Yellin was born in 1884 into a Jewish family in Mohyliv-Podilskyi, Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire. He apprenticed as an ironsmith from age eleven to sixteen before immigrating to America, where he settled in Philadelphia with his family. In 1906, Yellin began studying at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art. So adept was Yellin that he would progress to teaching classes at the school months later. In 1909, Yellin opened a metalsmith shop, which went from a fledgling enterprise to highly successful in no time. When Philadelphia experienced a building boom in the 1920s, Yellin had well over 200 skilled workers, including many European artisans, available to take on projects.

Yellin had a unique ability to respect tradition and encourage innovation while fulfilling his commissions. During his life, he was honored by the Art Institute of Chicago, the American Institute of Architects, the Architectural League of New York, The Philadelphia Award, and other notable entities for his excellence in design and forging. Examples of Yellin's work are today preserved in many esteemed private collections and estates, and on the campuses of Harvard University, Columbia University, Princeton University, Yale University, the University of Chicago, Cal Tech, and elsewhere. Yellin's business is still in operation to this day.