Extraordinary 14 x 17 etching of Albert Einstein lecturing at his blackboard, chalk in hand, signed in the lower border in pencil by the artist, "F. Schmutzer." Affixed to a same-size mount and in fine condition.
The Viennese painter and etcher Ferdinand Schmutzer (1870–1928) became particularly well known for his etchings as well as for the portraits of famous people, even beyond the borders of Austria. A list of those portrayed by Ferdinand Schmutzer reads like a Who's Who of the most famous individuals from all areas of social life in Vienna at the beginning of the 20th century. For his etchings, Ferdinand Schmutzer used photographs as templates. In addition to painting and graphics, photography also played a significant role in his oeuvre.
In 1921, Ferdinand Schmutzer attempted to convince Albert Einstein to sit as a model for an etching. In January of that year, Einstein came to Vienna as part of a lecture tour, where the meeting was also to take place. In a letter from G. Lampe, who facilitated the meeting, it was stated that it would be difficult since Einstein was probably very busy and in demand from many people. The fact that the portrait session indeed took place is evidenced by the resultant etchings and photographs. It is assumed that Schmutzer photographed Einstein and later created an etching based on these visual records.
Albert Einstein would later be awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the photoelectric effect, a pivotal contribution to quantum theory.
