Albert Einstein. 15 September 1932

Albert Einstein (1879-1955).

Autograph note signed ('A. Einstein') to Dr and Mrs [Paul] Epstein, Caputh, [postmarked 15 September 1932].

In German. Two lines of verse plus a greeting, on the picture side of a postcard, 90 x 140mm, depicting the Bismarck Memorial and Victory Column in Berlin, the verso also bearing a message by Elsa Einstein. Provenance: by descent from Paul S. Epstein.

A pacifist in militaristic Prussia. Einstein's note comprises a jocular rhyming couplet remarking on the absurdity of a man of his convictions sending a postcard depicting two monuments glorifying the military exploits of the Prussian past: “What’s a crying shame? For a pacifist to send such a card!”. Elsa's accompanying message looks forward to seeing the Epsteins during their visit to Pasadena in the New Year, and also remarks ironically on the choice of picture.

The summer of 1932 was the last the Einsteins spent in Germany: by the time of their return from their winter trip to Pasadena, the Nazi seizure of power had taken place, and their beloved summer house in Caputh, outside Berlin, had been expropriated. In response, Einstein renounced his German citizenship, and within six months he had left Europe for the USA, never to return.

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