Einstein Trove at Heritage
Amazingly
enough, this important Einstein relic was found by the consignor in the
trash at a jobsite in an affluent Boston neighborhood. What someone
regarded as little more than waste may well end up bringing a
substantial five figure price.
"It wasn't until after
World War I, when anti-Semitism had begun to run rampant in Europe,
that an already famous and influential Albert Einstein embraced his
Jewish legacy and identity," said Sandra Palomino, Director of
Historical Manuscripts & Autographs at Heritage Auctions, "and
thereby Zionism."
During the spring of 1921, Einstein the
celebrity made his first visit to America drawing large crowds and
meeting President Harding in April. While in New York City, the New
York Times (April 3, 1921) reported that "He looked like an artist."
Sometime near that date, he had this photograph taken by Herman
Mishkin's photography studio.
The 10" x 12" photograph
shows the physicist handsomely dressed, in his early 40s, just shortly
after he decided to let his graying hair grow longer. Einstein has
inscribed below the photo in blue ink in German, "Something to remember
us by, dedicated in friendship to an ardent awakener of the Jewish soul
and one who successfully fought for our university. Albert Einstein May
1921."
Einstein's visit was the result of his
acceptance of an invitation to accompany Chaim Weizmann, the president
of the World Zionist Organization, on a fundraising tour of the eastern
United States. Weizmann used the popular Einstein to draw crowds and
increase donations to help Jews settle Palestine. One of his key
interests in the movement was the proposed Jewish university to be
located in Jerusalem, which is certainly what he refers to in this
inscription (Hebrew University opened in 1925).
Einstein
and Weizmann visited Princeton University (which Einstein liked) and
Harvard University (which he didn't). At Princeton, Einstein lectured
for a week, but during his two-day visit to Harvard, he spent most of
his time with Weizmann attending Zionist dinners and rallies.
While
this photo could have been inscribed during those two days and given to
an unnamed supporter, the directness and personal nature of the
message, not to mention the quality of the photograph itself, leads one
to draw a more obvious conclusion.
"It's highly likely
that this photo was inscribed and given to Weizmann, who was a strong
advocate for the university and later served with Einstein on the
university's first Board of Governors," said Palomino. "This would be a
very intense message to write to someone he simply shared a dinner
with, or to someone just looking for an autograph."
Mein Weltbild, or The World As I See It, inscribed by Einstein to longtime mentor and friend, Max Talmey. Estimated at $8,000+:
In
a 1934 first edition presentation copy of his seminal book, Mein
Weltbild, or The World As I See It, Einstein's inscription to his
longtime mentor and friend, Max Talmey, brings full circle the lives of
the two men as Einstein writes: "What I let slip carelessly / the Devil
kept. /Mr. Talmey with/best wishes on your birthday./A Einstein/1934".
Max
Talmey (born Max Talmud) was a Polish medical student who introduced
the young Einstein to the wonders of science, mathematics, and
philosophy. European Jewish families routinely helped impoverished
students by regularly giving them good meals, and every Thursday Talmey
came to dinner at the Einstein house. He and Einstein became good
friends, despite a 10-year age difference. In appreciation, Talmey
loaned Einstein books on science, beginning with Popular Books on
Natural Science by Aaron Bernstein and continuing to more advanced fare
like Force and Matter by Ludwig Buchner and Kosmos by Alexander von
Humboldt, as well as Theodor Spieker's geometry textbook, Lehrbuch der
ebenen Geometrie, which made the greatest impact on 12-year-old
Einstein.
"Their paths diverged when Einstein was 15 and
Talmey moved to New York City to practice medicine," said James Gannon,
Director of Rare Books at Heritage Auctions, "but they met again
several times through the years. In 1932, a decade after Einstein won
the Nobel Prize in 1921 for his Theory of Relativity, Talmey wrote a
well-received and insightful book about Einstein, The Relativity Theory
Simplified and the Formative Period of Its Inventor."
Talmey
writes (on page 159): "Extraordinary mentality was already evident in
Albert Einstein when he was only a young boy. This I observed at close
range through my associations with him from his tenth to his fifteenth
year, and I had the good fortune even to play some part in its
unfolding during this highly formative period of his life." He
continues (on page 160): "With the exception of his nearest relatives I
am the only one who was personally familiar with that important stage
in the life of this preeminent scientist."
In a display
of self-deprecating humor, on the front flap of the dust jacket
Einstein has crossed through Mein Weltbild, and written "Quatsch"
("Nonsense") beneath it.
First edition Kosmos by
Alexander von Humbolt, direct from the original collection of Max
Talmey, likely the very copy read by the young Einstein. Estimated at
$600+:
This copy of Kosmos belonged to Max Talmey, and it
is quite possible that it is the very copy that Talmey loaned to
11-year old Einstein, setting in motion his "scientific" awakening.
Einstein
writes in his book Autobiographical Notes that his early religious
phase, somewhere around the age of 12, ended abruptly when he was
introduced to popular scientific books of the day. Einstein's sister,
Maja Winteler-Einstein, wrote that Talmey recommended several important
tomes to young Albert, including the Kosmos of Alexander von Humboldt,
a claim substantiated by Talmey's own writings.
"As the
present volume comes to Heritage Auctions via the extended step-family
of Talmey," said Gannon, "it's reasonable to believe that this very set
may well be among the books that Talmey lent to Einstein and which
helped facilitate the burgeoning of the greatest scientific mind of the
20th Century."
All three items will be on display at
Heritage Auctions Beverly Hills office, 9478 West Olympic Boulevard,
Suite 100, Beverly Hills, Feb. 9-10, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the two days
leading up to the Feb. 11-12 auctions.
Heritage Auctions, headed by Steve Ivy, Jim Halperin and Greg Rohan, is the world’s third largest auction house, with annual sales more than $600 million, and 475,000+ registered online bidder members. For more information about Heritage Auctions, and to join and gain access to a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit www.HA.com.
