Details
EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955). Autograph letter signed ('Papa') to his younger son Eduard ('Tete'), n.p., n.d., one page, 4to. Provenance: Eduard's Einstein's older brother, Hans Albert; and by descent.
'VERY FEW HUMAN THINGS ARE BEARABLE WITHOUT HUMOUR' Einstein is delighted with some poems Eduard has sent him, and encourages him to retain his humorous outlook later in life, 'Denn gar wenige menschliche Dinge sind ohne Humor erträglich [for very few human things are bearable without humour]'. Einstein has been carrying out a delightful experiment on the leakage of oil along metal surfaces, which he looks forward to showing Eduard: 'Man braucht nur Stricknadeln, Petrol, konzentrierten Alkohol und ein dünnes Drähtchen, etwa aus einer kaputen Glühlampe [You only need knitting needles, concentrated alcochol and a fine wire, perhaps from a broken lamp]'. He has a great deal of work to do, 'aber nicht gerade sehr grosse Sachen'. Einstein looks forward to any letter from his son, even if not in verse: 'So ein Papa freut sich mit allem'.
Eduard Einstein showed early signs of an imaginative and artistic nature, but from the early 1930s he was increasingly affected by schizophrenia, and following his institutionalisation at the Burghölzli clinic his father had little contact with him.
'VERY FEW HUMAN THINGS ARE BEARABLE WITHOUT HUMOUR' Einstein is delighted with some poems Eduard has sent him, and encourages him to retain his humorous outlook later in life, 'Denn gar wenige menschliche Dinge sind ohne Humor erträglich [for very few human things are bearable without humour]'. Einstein has been carrying out a delightful experiment on the leakage of oil along metal surfaces, which he looks forward to showing Eduard: 'Man braucht nur Stricknadeln, Petrol, konzentrierten Alkohol und ein dünnes Drähtchen, etwa aus einer kaputen Glühlampe [You only need knitting needles, concentrated alcochol and a fine wire, perhaps from a broken lamp]'. He has a great deal of work to do, 'aber nicht gerade sehr grosse Sachen'. Einstein looks forward to any letter from his son, even if not in verse: 'So ein Papa freut sich mit allem'.
Eduard Einstein showed early signs of an imaginative and artistic nature, but from the early 1930s he was increasingly affected by schizophrenia, and following his institutionalisation at the Burghölzli clinic his father had little contact with him.
Special notice
Buyers from within the EU:
VAT payable at 17.5% on just the buyer's premium (NOT the hammer price)
Buyers from outside the EU:
VAT payable at 17.5% on hammer price and buyer's premium. If a buyer, having registered under a non-EU address, decides that an item is not to be exported from the EU, then he/she should advise Christie's to this effect immediately.