The History of Ideas, in Pictures
One of the quirky things about Princeton is that it’s home to world-renowned people and institutions who might pass incognito at home. Maybe that’s because a big part of this town is the life of ideas, and ideas can be too abstract to picture.
Take the Institute for Advanced Study: not so long ago, a visiting professor who asked local hotel desk clerks if they knew about the Institute was met with blank stares.
But now author Linda Arntzenius -- who does know a lot about the Institute -- has opened a window onto that discreet world through a new book, “Images of America: The Institute for Advanced Study”. A narrative of the Institute’s history in words and pictures, this book offers the public a glimpse inside a working community of little fanfare and great influence.
(Click here to watch a video of Arntzenius talking about her book at the March 4 Einstein Legacy Society talk at the Institute for Advanced Study)
“What impressed me was the impact this tiny little institute had around the world. It’s impossible to quantify the impact of the research that has been done there. It has been right at the frontiers of knowledge,” Arntzenius says.
Perhaps best-known as the intellectual home of Albert Einstein from 1933 until his death in 1955, the Institute has, over the years, brought to Princeton such thought-leaders such as John von Neumann, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and George Kennan, just to name a few.
Arntzenius says the biggest challenge of doing a photo book about a center for theoretical research is that, while it might be famous, there is nothing there for a tourist to see.
While most of the images in the book come from the Institute's archives, Arntzenius also reached out to the local community. “Many people called with anecdotes and stories, but few photographs. So as far as a complete history, this is just the tip of the iceberg.” For example there was the story of Alice Satterfield, who worked at the Institute and had fond memories of walking together with Einstein, but the one image of her working at the Institute that Arntzenius had access to was not high-resolution enough to be included in the book.
Arntzenius observes her subject matter with a practiced eye. Beginning in 2003, she edited the Institute’s newsletter for a number of years. Then she put together a history of the Institute which was destined for internal distribution only, and is generally known in the Institute community as “the blue book”.
“I was thrilled when the Institute agreed to allow me to do this book,” says Arntzenius of the “Images of America” edition. “It’s a chance to get rid of some of the myths about the place.”
The mistaken notion that the Institute is part of Princeton University is one of the most persistent myths, probably derived from the fact that it was originally housed in Fine Hall (now known as Jones Hall) on the campus of Princeton University.
In truth, the IAS is more or less its own community, with people coming from all over the world for a specific purpose, staying for a fixed period of time, and living in the Institute enclave.
Despite its reputation as “the penthouse on top of the Ivory Tower”, as Arntzenius writes in the introduction, the Institute does host a number of events for the public, including concerts and lectures. “And the surrounding Institute Woods are well beloved and much used by the Princeton community”, Arntzenius adds.
There will be at least two opportunities in the near future to talk to Arntzenius about “Images of America: The Institute for Advanced Study”: she will be signing copies of her book as part of Pi Day celebrations on March 12 at the Princeton Public Library, and then again as part of its Local and Independent Authors Day, on March 19.
And perhaps after the publicity, the next time someone asks a Princetonian for directions to the Institute, they won’t be met with blank stares.
Arntzenius did an interview with Joan Goldstein for “Backstory with Joan Goldstein” about the book Images of America: Institute for Advanced Study.
Back Story with Joan Goldstein, Show 3.11 from Princeton Community Television on Vimeo.
About the Author
Founder, AllPrinceton
Donna Liu is a digital journalist who has lived in Princeton with her family since 2002. She founded AllPrinceton in 2010 as an online hub for community news and information. At Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, she built UChannel - an online archive of public affairs lectures in academia. Before that she established and managed CNN International's Asia Production Center in Hong Kong.
