Vintage sepia matte-finish 10.25 x 13.25 formal portrait of Einstein by Sophie Delar, affixed to its original 16 x 20 photographer’s mount, signed and inscribed in black ink “To Mrs. Sophie Delar, Albert Einstein, Princeton 1935.” In very good condition, with some scattered surface spotting and impressions, silvering to the borders of the image, a few trivial chips to the edges, light creasing to some areas of the mount, and significant paper loss to the upper left corner of the mount. Photographed countless times during his three decades in the public eye, Einstein almost always appeared as he was on a day-to-day basis: wild hair, a sweater or casual suit, and a lively, mischievous expression on his face. This photograph, taken by New York socialite and photographer Sophie Delar, is the exception. Dressed to the nines in his finest tuxedo, hair (somewhat) under control, with a slightly subdued smirk on his face, the celebrity scientist takes on the dignified air of a world-renowned intellectual. Inscribed to the socialite photographer Sophie Delar from his post at Princeton, this phenomenally rare portrait is one of the finest we have ever offered. RR Auction COA.
