A press photograph of Albert Einstein swearing in upon receiving U.S. citizenship at a federal court in Trenton. To his right is his daughter Margot, and to his left is his secretary Helen Dukas, both also swearing allegiance. On the back of the photo, a piece of paper is glued with a stencil-printed description of the event, as well as newspaper clippings from The New York Times in which the picture was published and a review of the event. Trenton, New Jersey, October 1, 1940.
Einstein left Germany in 1933 following the rise of the Nazis to power and settled in the United States. That same year, Einstein renounced his German citizenship but still retained his Swiss citizenship, living for many years in Princeton as a permanent resident while joining the staff of the Institute for Advanced Research in the city. On October 1, 1940, Einstein decided to complete the process and become a U.S. citizen. This move marked his satisfaction with his new life in America, and above all, it expressed his opposition to Nazism with the outbreak of war in Europe, declaring that he would never return to Germany. Einstein took the oath and received American citizenship along with his step-daughter Margot and his longtime secretary Helen Dukas, who are visible in the photo. The event took place at a federal court in Trenton, New Jersey.
The content of the oath spoken by Einstein at that time can be see here .
21x17 cm. Diagonal crack on the left side of the photo. Good condition.
