ALS in German, signed "Sigm,” one page, 4.75 x 7, personal letterhead. February 5, 1911. Handwritten letter to Moritz Freud, his cousin and brother-in-law, regarding his son Martin's recent injury, in part (translated): “The boy is still having a rough time, I'm afraid. He's cooped up in the sanatorium, all wrapped up in plaster and unable to move a muscle. On top of that, he's battling a fever and sore throat now, which really shouldn't be happening. Fingers crossed it clears up soon. The doctors do seem optimistic about his leg, so there's some good news. He truly treasured your letter—it brought him a lot of joy.” Mounted and framed with a matted portrait of Freud to an overall size of 17.25 x 13.75. In very good condition, with moderately heavy overall creasing. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from JSA.
(Jean) Martin Freud (1889-1967) was the eldest son of Sigmund Freud, described by his father as ‘a strange bird; sensitive and good-natured in his personal relationships, completely wrapped up in a humorous phantasy world of his own.’ In 1910, Martin joined the Imperial Horse Artillery as a so-called one-year volunteer. In January 1911, he broke his leg in a skiing accident, thus bringing his service to a halt. Nevertheless, when World War I broke out in 1915, Martin reenrolled in the artillery service and served in Galicia.
In addition to worrying after his son, in January-February 1911 Freud finished his paper based on the seminal case of Judge Daniel Schreber, a highly intelligent and cultured man. Freud produced a vivid account of his nervous illness, one dominated by the desire to become a woman, terrifying delusions about his doctor, and a belief in his special relationship with God. Despite this crushing mental illness, Schreber published his own case history as ‘Memoirs of My Nervous Illness,’ which would become an influential and durable text in the field of psychology. In his paper, entitled ‘Formulations on the Two Principles of Mental Functioning,’ Freud suggests that there might be a correlational and/or developmental relationship between systems, layers, structures, levels of consciousness, and Freud's model of the mind. Freud would expand on the Schreber case later in 1911, publishing ‘Psycho-Analytic Notes on an Autobiographical Account of a Case of Paranoia (Dementia Paranoides).’
Moritz Freud (1857-1922) was the husband and cousin of Freud's daughter, Marie ‘Mitzi’ Freud. Among other things, Moritz was the source of the famous Persian rugs on which Freud's patients would lie.
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