JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post
[Caption: "M. Painlevé fait lui-même la police afin d'empêcher l'entrée d'un public trop nombreux venu pour écouter M. Einstein : [photographie de presse] / Agence Meurisse" Source: http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b90546608.r=einstein.langEN]
Here's a photo regarding Einstein that I've never seen before: an image showing a crowd evidently being turned away from the over-capacity lectures by Einstein in Paris. The photo is undated but it must be from when Einstein was invited to Paris by the College de France (under the guidance and leadership of physicist Paul Langevin (1872-1946)) to give lectures and talks beginning March 31, 1922. Einstein was at the Sorbonne just a week later, on the 6th of April, where he also lectured. The photograph mentions "M. Painleve" (1863-1933), who was Prime Minister of France very briefly on two occasions and also a professor at the Sorbonne, so I assume that it is at the Sorbonne where this picture was probably made. I know for certain that attendance at the lectures at the College de France was by ticket only and which were scarce and did not meet demand, and I assume that the same was possible at the Sorbonne. (Since I have no familiarity with the Sorbonne looks like I assume that anyone who did would be able to tell me exactly where this entrance is...)
The trip wasn't just roses for Einstein or the French or the Germans (in general)--this was just four years after the war and there were certain "patriotic" factions within France that did not want Einstein (the German) there; conversely there were also some elements in Germany who did not want Einstein to go to France. Einstein certainly had a lot on his mind for this trip, not the least of which was lecturing in French--though in that regard I remember reading that he said that "equations helped' or something along those lines.
In any event, it is a great photograph.
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