Item 58 - Greetings cards from Ludwig Wittgenstein to Norman and Leonida Malcolm

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Add. MS a/747/58

Title

Greetings cards from Ludwig Wittgenstein to Norman and Leonida Malcolm

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  • [1940s?-1950] (Creation)

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8 items.

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Six Christmas cards and two Easter cards; most only bearing brief good wishes, though a few have longer messages. Two cards are addressed to 'Malcolm', and so probably date from earlier than May 1945, when Wittgenstein wrote to Malcolm saying he would like them to use first names in future [see Add. MS a/747/10]; another two cards are addressed only to 'Norman' and perhaps are next in date, the rest all include Leonida and Ray Malcolm as addressees. The final card is addressed to 'Norman & Lee & Ray & the baby', and so must date from Christmas 1950.

Add. MS a/747/58/2 has a particularly long message, which mentions a visit by Smythies from Oxford to read a paper at the Moral Sciences Club; this paper was given on 15 Nov. 1945. Wittgenstein comments 'It was an attack on me & at not at all bad. It would have been still very much better had he had more time to prepare it. But I'm afraid he is very overworked & he arrived here exceedingly tired'.

Add. MS a/747/58/4, which has an image of an open book, candle, inkpot and quill pen, has been annotated 'L. Wittgenstein pinx[it]'.

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