Two items: a matte-finish 8 x 10 half-length photo of Salk holding up a case of vials in his laboratory, signed in black ink, "Jonas E. Salk"; and an amusing TLS signed "Jonas E. Salk," one page, 8.5 x 11, University of Pittsburgh letterhead, October 18, 1955, in full: "I am sure the sun shines here as well but I must confess that I have not as yet been able to notice. You ask that I take a free moment from a crowded schedule to oblige your request and if it were a free moment I would not as yet have been able to do so because there have been none. To make it possible for me to survive in the face of the great many demands made upon me I have had to establish certain policies; one of these has been to acknowledge requests for autographed photos as we acknowledged your request. Since yours is one of many, I must tell you honestly that this matter has had to be put aside for the time to satisfy the desire of those who wish to have me send photos of our own, as you have requested, then I will comply with yours as well as with the others. Otherwise, I can only suggest that for the immediate future I will be glad to autograph any photographs that you might send to me. I deeply appreciate your desire to have this memento and I must ask you to consider with some compassion the position of someone who without desiring to become a celebrity or without desiring to be one is so treated. Our work still requires our full attention and to take on additional activities seems to us at the moment to be unreasonable and unfair to the goals that we hope to achieve." In overall very good to fine condition, with staining to the right side of the letter, and creasing to the photo, including a more noticeable horizontal crease across the center. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope.
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