The Baker family name is associated with Sotheby’s, founded in London by Samuel Baker in 1744.
Samuel Baker began the business as an auctioneer and bookseller. Its first recorded sale took place in London in 1744, involving books from the library of the French scholar John Stanley. The firm initially specialized in books before expanding into art, antiques, jewelry, and other collectibles.
The company was known as Baker’s for much of its early history. After Samuel Baker’s death, his nephew John Sotheby joined the business, and the Sotheby name gradually became dominant. The auction house adopted the name Sotheby’s in the nineteenth century.
A frequent error is to attribute the founding to Sotheby himself. John Sotheby was important to the firm’s development, but Samuel Baker established the auction business in 1744. Sotheby’s later became a global auction house with operations far beyond Britain.