A charming letter from Albert Einstein to photographer Sanford “Sandy” Roth goes on auction this month.
In the 1950s, Roth famously captured a series of intimate portraits of Einstein in his office — an experience that the photographer would look back on as one of the most memorable and meaningful of his life.
Despite Einstein initially requesting only six photographs from Roth, the session ended up lasting three hours, filled with a lively discussion between Einstein and famed anthropologist Ashley Montagu about nuclear power and world affairs.
When Roth finally confessed to taking over one hundred pictures, Einstein playfully chided him, acknowledging the mathematical necessity for such a large number to achieve six good shots.
In Portraits of the Fifties: The Photographs of Sanford Roth, Roth’s wife Beulah recounts her husband’s meeting with the legendary theoretical physicist.
“Before they began, I was told, Professor Einstein cautioned Sandy to take no more than six pictures. Three hours passed as [Ashley] Montagu and Einstein had a lengthy discussion about nuclear power and the world,” Beulah writes about the photo session.
“Finally Einstein turned to Sandy and said, ‘Roth, you are a naughty boy. You took more than six!’ ‘Yes, I did,’ said Sandy, ‘but Professor, you should know that in order to get six good ones I had to take one hundred.’” Einstein replied, “You are right, Roth. It figures mathematically.”
According to Beulah, Roth regarded the photo session with Einstein as “one of the greatest moments” of his life.
After their meeting, Roth sent his photos to Einstein and the legendary physicist wrote a letter back to him. This letter from Einstein to Roth is now up for sale by Nate D. Sanders Auctions in Los Angeles — with bidding starting at $4,000.
The typed letter, signed “A. Einstein,” is dated June 17, 1953, and written on Einstein’s personal embossed stationery from Princeton University.
In the missive, Einstein thanks Roth for the photographs and expresses a preference for “the one of the head only,” requesting a few prints, if possible in a smaller size.
“Thank you for your letter and the pictures,” the physicist writes. “I liked best the one of the head only and should be grateful if you would send me a few prints of it — if possible in a smaller size. [signed] A. Einstein.”
The Life of Sandford ‘Sandy’ Roth
Born in 1906 in Brooklyn, New York, he originally started his career managing chain stores. In the 1930s, he met and married Beulah Spigelgass. In 1946, he left his career behind to follow his true passion — photography.
The couple moved to Europe and Roth soon established himself as a photojournalist, within the film industry and among other influential figures of his era. Roth and his wife traveled extensively, moving between Hollywood, Europe, and various global destinations, where they photographed hundreds of celebrities.
The couple mingled with and captured images of some of the most prominent figures of post-World War II Hollywood and Europe. Over the years, Roth’s lens focused on icons such as Einstein, Alfred Hitchcock, Judy Garland, and Pablo Picasso. His photography became widely recognized for its distinctive quality and ability to reveal the unguarded, intimate sides of otherwise unreachable stars.
Despite his extensive portfolio, Roth is most well-known for his portraits of his close friend, actor James Dean. He photographed the Rebel Without a Cause actor in both lighthearted and contemplative moments, preserving a unique perspective on the young star before his tragic death in a car accident at 24.
In 1962, while in Rome preparing to work on Cleopatra, the epic film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Roth suffered a fatal heart attack.
Image credits: All photos courtesy of Nate D. Sanders Auctions.
