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Albert Einstein Vintage Photo of Einstein Sticking Out His Tongue – His Most Famous Pose!
A vintage photograph of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue on his 72nd birthday. The matte black and white photo printed on stock paper is titled, dated, and inscribed in pencil verso as: "A. Einstein / A. Sasse / 1951 / © AP." Tightly cropped to an overall size of 4.5" x 3.875." Minor to moderate discoloration verso, else near fine.
Einstein celebrated his 72nd birthday on March 14, 1951 by attending an event at the Princeton Club. Afterward, Einstein dodged reporters and boarded a waiting automobile. UPI photojournalist Arthur Sasse (1908-1975), more audacious than his fellow reporters, boldly approached Einstein and requested a special birthday pose, purportedly asking, "Ya, Professor, smile for your birthday picture, ya?" Einstein obliged by contorting his face into the tongue extension here shown. The resulting photo challenged public perceptions of Einstein as a grave and cerebral scientist. Sasse's editors at the International News Photo Network deliberated whether or not they should use the picture. It was ultimately published, however, and became one of the most beloved portraits of Einstein for that very reason: it showed Einstein's zany and irreverent side. Einstein himself loved the quirky photo so much that he requested nine personal copies from UPI and used the image on his personal greeting cards. Not seen in this cropped image were two witnesses to Einstein's mischief-making: Dr. Frank Aydelotte (1880-1956) and his wife Marie Jeanette Aydelotte, flanking Einstein in the car. Dr. Aydelotte had served as the former Director of Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study from 1939-1947, during which time Einstein had been one of the Institute's most well-known faculty members.
Authentication: Gotta Have Rock and Roll Certificate of Authenticity.