Copyright status unknown. This work may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, its reproduction may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. This work is accessible for purposes of education and research. Transmission or reproduction of works protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. The Caltech Archives attempted to find rights owners without success but is eager to hear from them so that we may obtain permission, if needed. Upon request to archives@caltech.edu, digitized works can be removed from public view if there are rights issues that need to be resolved. Rights for the use of Albert Einstein's name, likeness, and other attributes of the Einstein persona are claimed by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Fees for commercial use may be charged. For further information on the use of Einstein’s name and likeness, please go to: http://www.albert-einstein.org.
Description
The reel is part of a series of footage covering von Kármán’s family, his travels, his meeting with scientists and technical footage. The films were made by von Kármán himself or by family members and friends. The video is undated, but starting on 1931 Einstein comes to Caltech for three successive winters. The trip from Germany would have taken several weeks on ocean liners and trains. Einstein was received with great acclaim by the public and press of California. During his first visits he lived in a bungalow in Pasadena; for the later visits he preferred the privacy of Caltech's new faculty club, the Athenaeum. Einstein was interested in discussing the cosmological implications of his theory of general relativity with the scientists at Caltech and Mount Wilson Observatory. Such visits were very important in the days before global communications. Mount Wilson's 100-inch telescope, then the largest in the world, enabling groundbreaking observations, was also a great attraction for Einstein. Einstein had many occasions to explain his theory of general relativity; he always spoke in German, with translation provided by Caltech's relativist Richard Tolman. Einstein also met several contacts who shared his liberal causes, including actor Charlie Chaplin and author Upton Sinclair. Von Karman, aerospace engineer and JPL founder, probably shot this video himself. We see Einstein at the von Karmans’ home with other guests, and then again on a ship in Long Beach. We can see the interest and electricity that Einstein’s presence always generated among the groups of people that he met. At the end of the clip we even see him presenting his autograph to a fan.
Type
moving image
Format
Original Silent Black and White 16mm film
Extent
1 Reel of 1
Identifier
TVK-158-2 capsca_00009
Provenance
California Institute of Technology Archives California Revealed is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
