Letter, handwritten and signed by Sigmund Freud, addressed to his relative, Dr. Rudolf Kallir-Nirenstein. Vienna, January 10, 1937. German.
This letter is written on official stationery, indicating Sigmund Freud’s address in Vienna, Berggasse No. 19, where he resided for 47 years, from 1891 to 1938. Also enclosed is an envelope from Freud’s official stationery, and the name and address of the addressee – Freud’s distant relative, Dr. Rudolf Kallir-Nirenstein of Prague – appear handwritten on this envelope. (Rudolf was the brother of the renowned historian and art dealer Otto Kallir-Nirenstein).
In the letter, Freud thanks Kallir-Nirenstein for sending him the family tree of his (Freud’s) mother, Amalia Malka née Nathansohn, and adds a number of comments and corrections of his own, including some clarifications for the sake of precision: "…Greatest thanks for sending the family tree and for your comments. I find there a great number of respectable individuals about whom I knew very little. I recall my mother speaking at times of Horace Landau. I can identify my grandfather as a person referred to in the family tree as Jockel, son of Herz N. [Nathansohn]. I remember that his [Hebrew] name was Jakob. It seems to me however that the records pertaining to him are neither [fully] reliable nor complete; his children are named as follows: Judek, departed at a young age; Aaron; Herz from Odessa; and Hadel, which is most certainly a reference to my mother. Nevertheless, my mother’s name was Malke (Amalia). Judek is Julius, but he was [actually] the youngest; Aaron is most likely Adolf; Herz is Hermann who passed away in Odessa. One of my uncles, Nathan, is not mentioned [in the family tree]. With familial regards, Freud".

The present letter was preceded by an earlier one, also addressed to Dr. Rudolf Kallir-Nirenstein and dated December 21, 1936, wherein Freud adds details regarding family ties between the Freud and Kallir families. Freud writes that "…I share your interest in the study of genealogy, and I would be happy to submit to you the information at my disposal. My mother, Amalia Nathansohn of Brody, who passed away in 1930 at 95 years of age, had told me time and again of our blood ties to the member of parliament at the time, Kallir…". (see: Rudolf F. Kallir, "Autographensammler-lebenslänglich" , Zurich-Freiburg, 1977, p. 13).

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), founding father of the field of psychoanalysis, one of the greatest and most influential intellectual figures of the 20th century. Freud published a series of groundbreaking works relating to psychology, including "Totem and Taboo", "The Interpretation of Dreams", "Moses and Monotheism", and numerous other works whose impact on Western thought was nothing short of revolutionary. Sigmund Freud passed away following a prolonged battle with cancer in September 1939.

[1] leaf, official stationery paper, 28.5 cm. Stationery envelope: 12.5X15.5 cm. Good condition. Fold lines. Minor stains. Minor tears to edges.