Princeton in Mercer County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Albert Einstein
1879 - 1955
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 3, 2013
1. Albert Einstein Marker
E = mc²
(1905)
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world.
(1929)
Born in Ulm Germany on March 14, 1879, Albert Einstein became a resident of Princeton in 1933, residing on Mercer Street until his death in 1955.
Before becoming a Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, Einstein had already become famous for his Special Theory of Relativity in 1905 and General Theory of Relativity in 1915-1916, both of which explained fundamental laws of the universe. His name became synonymous with genius.
A Nobel Laureate in physics, a philosopher, a humanitarian, an educator, and an immigrant, Albert Einstein left an indelible mark on the world and expressed tremendous appreciation for Princeton.
“I am privileged by fate to live here in Princeton,” Einstein wrote. “I feel doubly thankful that there has fallen on my lot a place for work and a scientific atmosphere which could not be better or more harmonious.”
The ideals which have lighted my way and time after time have given me the energy to face life have been kindness, beauty and truth
(1930)
America today is the hopeof all honorable men who respect the rights of their fellow men and who believe in the principles of freedom and justice.
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(1941)
It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.
(1931)
Robert Berks
Sculptor
Robert Berks has devoted more than half a century to creating enduring images in bronze of people who have shaped our age. His work includes more than three hundred sculpted heads and fourteen monuments.
Albert Einstein sat for his portrait by Robert Berks on the weekend of April 18, 1953. Of the sculpture, Einstein wrote, in part, “I admire the bust highly as a portrait and not less as a characterization of mental personality.” Subsequently, that experience was the inspiration for two monuments: Berks’s Einstein Centennial Monument for the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., and the Einstein Millennial Monument for the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, from which this head has been cast.
Gift of the Robert Berks Foundation to commemorate Einstein’s years in Princeton.
Erected 2005 by Robert Berks, sculptor.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Science & Medicine • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1725.
Location.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 3, 2013
2. Left Side of Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Princeton Bell (within shouting distance of this marker); Princeton War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); French Markets (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Princeton Battle Monument (about 400 feet away); Marines in the Revolution (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Princeton Battle Monument (about 400 feet away); Colonel John Haslet (about 400 feet away); Campsite of The Army of Louis XVI, King of France (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Princeton.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 3, 2013
3. Rear of Marker
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 3, 2013
4. Right Side Marker
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 3, 2013
5. Artist Marker
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 3, 2013
6. Albert Einstein Monument
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 3, 2013
7. Albert Einstein Monument
The Einstein Monument is located in the same plaza as the Princeton Victory Monument, seen at left in the background.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 3, 2013
8. Marker in Princeton
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 3, 2013
9. Closeup of Albert Einstein Bust
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 3, 2013
10. Monument Donors
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 3, 2013
11. Monument Detail
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, July 22, 2017
12. Albert Einstein
This 1944 portrait of Albert Einstein by Max Westfield hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC.
“The most brilliant scientist of the twentieth century, physicist Albert Einstein inspires comparisons to Isaac Newton. By the time he reached thirty, his theory of relativity and work in quantum mechanics had revolutionized physics and profoundly altered our perception of the world.
Einstein naturally commanded great prestige in the United States when he sought refuge from the Nazi regime of his native Germany in 1933. His words thus carried enormous weight in 1939 when he wrote a letter alerting President Roosevelt that Germany was moving toward the development of nuclear weaponry. Eventually, that warning gave impetus to the Manhattan Project, the top-secret venture that in 1945 produced the world's first atomic bomb.
While sitting for this likeness in 1944, Einstein mused to his portraitist, ‘After fifty years they will say of me, either he was a great man or a fool!’” — National Portrait Gallery
“The most brilliant scientist of the twentieth century, physicist Albert Einstein inspires comparisons to Isaac Newton. By the time he reached thirty, his theory of relativity and work in quantum mechanics had revolutionized physics and profoundly altered our perception of the world.
Einstein naturally commanded great prestige in the United States when he sought refuge from the Nazi regime of his native Germany in 1933. His words thus carried enormous weight in 1939 when he wrote a letter alerting President Roosevelt that Germany was moving toward the development of nuclear weaponry. Eventually, that warning gave impetus to the Manhattan Project, the top-secret venture that in 1945 produced the world's first atomic bomb.
While sitting for this likeness in 1944, Einstein mused to his portraitist, ‘After fifty years they will say of me, either he was a great man or a fool!’” — National Portrait Gallery
Credits. This page was last revised on October 14, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 4, 2013, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,135 times since then and 124 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. submitted on April 4, 2013, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 12. submitted on July 24, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.
