Books & Manuscripts, including Americana

7 x 5 in. (187 x 125 mm) black-and-white photograph, inscribed and signed in lower margin, encapsulated by PSA/DNA, cert no. 85423341 (signature is graded a NM7). Provenance: Lester K. Maynard and his wife Hannah Maynard (nee Dukas), presumably Helen Dukas's niece via brother Henry B. Dukas (see photo inscription and telegrams).

This iconic portrait of Einstein is often referred to as the “postage stamp” Einstein, as it served as the basis for the 15-cent U.S. postage stamp (Scott #1774) issued in March 1979 to mark the centenary of his birth. Its photographer, Herman Landshoff, like Einstein, was a German-Jewish émigré who fled Nazi persecution and resettled in the United States in the 1930s.

[With:] a Philippe Halsman print of Einstein; five candid snapshots taken at Einstein's home at Princeton, New Jersey; four negatives corresponding to three of five of the above snapshots; and two telegrams dated 17 May 1946 including one signed in print as "Albert Einstein and Family." The archive depicts Albert Einstein in many casual poses, both seated and standing, and in very interesting dress; one of Einstein's outfits consists of sandals, slacks, and a sweatshirt. Other figures identified in the photographs include: Einstein's step-daughter Margot Lowenthal Einstein (1899-1986); and Helene "Helen" Dukas (1896-1982), Einstein's devoted secretary, housekeeper, and executor (see photo inscription).