The firm of Hodgson & Co. was founded in 1807 by Robert Saunders. Hodgson's, as it was known, began in Reading, but quickly moved to London where it remained for the rest of its days. Edward Hodgson joined the firm in 1826, and took over in 1828. The business remained thereafter in the Hodgson family's hands. In the early twentieth century, the firm passed on an opportunity to buy Sotheby's. That proved somewhat ironic as it ceased business in 1967 when purchased by Sotheby's.