Edgar Seligman

Although he made his Olympic debut at age 39, Edgar Seligman’s athletic career still lasted for 5 Olympics. Seligman was a strong fencer on all three weapons, and is in fact the only person to have won the British title in each weapon at least twice: épée (1904, 1906), foil (1906, 1907) and sabre (1923, 1924). In the Olympics, Seligman excelled in the épée, winning three consecutive team silvers with the British team between 1906 and 1912, and taking 6th individually in 1912. From 1912 to 1924, he served as the team captain of the British fencing team.

The Jewish fencer was also an accomplished painter, exhibiting at the Royal Academy and the Fine Art Society in London. He also entered works in the Olympic art competitions of the 1928 and 1932 Games. The title of Seligman’s self-portrait in the catalog is originally supplemented by details of his successes: Portrait of the artist, champion of Great Britain in epee, foil, saber; four times in the finals at the Olympic Games. He donated the picture to the Amateur Fencing Association (AFA), later renamed the British Fencing Association.

He was originally an American but became a British citizen when his family moved to Great Britain. His brother was Brigadier General Herbert Seligman.