"A perfection of means, and a confusion of aims, seem to be our main problem. "

Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, to Pauline and Hermann Einstein. In his early schooling he was a shy but curious student who did not show an aptitude for anything in particular. Einstein preferred to learn on his own and by the time he was a teenager he had taught himself advanced mathematics and science. He graduated from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich in1900 with a teaching degree in physics. Unable to find a teaching post, he became a Swiss citizen and accepted a position as technical assistant in the Swiss Patent Office in 1902 and in 1905 he obtained his doctorate.

Albert Einstein's most noted contribution to the world is his theory of relativity. In 1905 when he was only 26 years old, he published his brief paper on relativity. The paper showed mathematically that the speed of light is constant and not relative to its source or to the viewer. The greatest result of relativistic physics was Einstein's famous relation, E=mc2. In this, he was able to prove that any increase in the energy, E, of a body must lead to a corresponding increase in its mass, m, these increases being related by a factor c2 , where c represents the velocity of light squared.

Einstein's general relativity theory has been verified numerous times in the past 60 years, but it took natural events and new technologies to actually prove many of his theories. His 1905 prediction regarding light-deflection was not able to be confirmed until 1919. His genius was of such dimension that confirmation of some of his earliest predictions were not achieved until the late 1900's. Lacking a peer group who could properly appreciate the genius of his relativity theory, he received a Nobel Prize in 1921 for his research on quantum law and the emission and absorption of light -- the photoelectric effect.

During his stay at the Patent Office he produced much of his remarkable work. One aspect of what made it so remarkable is that he produced his profound works while having little or no interactions among other scientists. After leaving the Patent Office Einstein quickly moved through a series of critical academic positions and was appointed Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Physical Institute and Professor in the University of Berlin in 1914. He left Berlin for America in 1933 when he renounced his citizenship for political reasons and emigrated to America to take the position of Professor of Theoretical Physics at Princeton.

Perhaps what is most fascinating about Einstein is the depth of his humanity. As the genius of his time with a habit of working in isolation he could have easily set himself apart from the rest of humanity, yet he was filled with compassion, humor and modesty. His morality and wisdom are seen in his many quotations that reflect his cultural relevancy then and now. Time Magazine recognized him as the "Man of the Century" in 2000. Albert Einstein died in 1955.

Medium : I photographic print : platinum

Created/Published : 1931

Creator : Doris Ulmann, photographer, d1934

Frame : 1 1/8" Black wood : Outside Dimensions : 9 1/4 x 11 5/8

This image is housed in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress

Price: $95.00

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 weeks

Product #: FR0124