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Lot #4099
Albert Einstein Iconic Signed 'Tongue' Photograph: "This gesture applies only to the rest of the world"

"This gesture applies only to the rest of the world. Yours, A. Einstein"—an original print of one of the 20th century's enduring photographs, signed by its iconic subject

Ends On 2/21

Now At:  $36,603 (20 bids)

Next Bid:  $40,264

Estimate: $40000+

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Description

"This gesture applies only to the rest of the world. Yours, A. Einstein"—an original print of one of the 20th century's enduring photographs, signed by its iconic subject

Iconic vintage glossy 5 x 7 photo of Albert Einstein famously sticking his tongue out on his 72nd birthday, signed in the thin upper border in fountain pen in German (translated): "This gesture applies only to the rest of the world. Yours, A. Einstein 51." Reverse bears an International News Photos credit stamp: "Int'l News Photos, 235 East 45th St., New York." In very good to fine condition, with scattered creasing, including a thin vertical crease descending to his forehead, visible at an angle. Encapsulated in a PSA/DNA authentication holder.

This iconic photo of Einstein was taken on his 72nd birthday, March 14, 1951, by United Press International photographer Arthur Sasse. After a birthday celebration at the Princeton Club, Einstein was mobbed by photographers and reporters as he made his way into a friend's car to go return home. Sasse held back until he could get closer, then yelled to get his attention, 'Ya, Professor, shmile for your birthday picture, ya?' Tired of smiling for the cameras all day long, Einstein turned around and stuck out his tongue. Luckily, Sasse was quick enough to capture the moment and create what became one of the most well-known photographs of the 20th century. The original photo shows Einstein in between Dr. Frank Aydelotte, the former head of the Institute for Advanced Study, and his wife. After seeing it in the newspaper, Einstein sent a letter to International News Photos to request nine prints to give to his friends, and asked that the image be cropped to show his face only. This is one of those examples—an original International News Photos print, cropped per Einstein's specifications and given to him to distribute to close friends.

The owner of this particular example was Otto Nathan, an economist who fled Nazi Germany and took a position on the faculty at Princeton University, where his friendship with the genius began. Nathan would serve as the sole executor of Einstein's estate after the scientist's death in April 1955, and was designated by Einstein as co-trustee of his literary estate (along with Einstein's secretary Helen Dukas). After Einstein's death, Nathan and Dukas spent 25 years organizing his papers and collecting supplementary material from around the world. They planned for all of Einstein's papers—personal and scientific—to eventually be published, and in 1971 Princeton University Press undertook the massive publishing effort.

Interestingly, Otto Nathan presented the photo as a gift to Margaret Sanders, the daughter of KFC founder Col. Harland Sanders, and it has descended through the family. Margaret's close relationship with Otto Nathan, and her interest in Einstein's work, are well documented in her memoir, The Colonel's Secret: Eleven Herbs and a Spicy Daughter (pp. 186–239), published in 1996. This signed photograph might have been presented as a 'thank-you' for her gift of a bust of Einstein (see lots 4101 and 4102); she had also received several photographs of Einstein from Otto Nathan to use as reference material for her creation of the bust.

Signed examples of Arthur Sasse's famous photograph of Einstein are exceedingly scarce; we have offered just one example—over a decade ago—and it achieved $125,000 at auction.





Sanders documents her longstanding interest in Albert Einstein, her creation of Einstein's bust, her friendship with Otto Nathan, and his delivery of her 'open letter' to Einstein in her memoir, The Colonel's Secret: Eleven Herbs and a Spicy Daughter (pp. 186-239), published in 1996.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: Remarkable Rarities
  • Dates: January 24, 2025 - February 20, 2025
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