Emmy Noether
Mathematician
Amalie Emmy Noether
* 23 March 1882 (Erlangen, Germany), † 14 April 1935 (Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, USA)
Dr. Emmy Noether can undoubtedly be described as the greatest German mathematical genius. Defying the misogynistic university environment, Emmy Noether, who was highly esteemed by mathematicians of her time, first researched and taught in Erlangen and then in Göttingen, where she developed the decisive theory that mathematically captured Einstein's theory of relativity (“invariant theory” and “Noether theorems”).
In 1933, following the Nazi takeover, she emigrated to the USA, to Bryn Mawr (a girls' college) - and not, as expected, to Princeton, where other scientists such as Albert Einstein were called. At that time, women were not yet allowed to teach at Princeton. In 1935, she died unexpectedly after an operation.
About the Portrait
Emmy Noether between two eras
There are several photos of Emmy Noether: severe-looking portraits from her younger years and later shots of gatherings in a university environment. It is noticeable that Emmy Noether usually smiles cheerfully and conveys her open spirit. From the available photographs, I have selected a photo of her with her mathematics colleague van der Waerden from 1929 for this painting.
Taking up the stylistics of New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit), I show Emmy Noether between the German Empire and Modernism: on the left in the background is a house from the Wilhelminian era, on the right in the background the sober, reduced architecture of the 1920s. She stands in between – her entire career and recognition as a mathematician was in danger of being crushed by the rigid regulations in force (prohibition of women from lecturing in Prussia) and the generally prevailing misogyny. But Emmy Noether stood like a rock between these political worlds and cheerfully pursued her love of mathematics.
Historical Materials
Photos of Emmy Noether and selected letters that proof her outstanding mathematical skills
(for enlargement and caption click on the pictures)
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Emmy Noether with mathematician and colleague van der Waerden, 1929
I chose this photo for Emmy Noether's portrait painting. It shows a self-confident, cheerful Emmy Noether. The detailed facial features are barely recognizable here; for this I used the - presumably last - portrait from Bryn Mawr from ~1934. -
Emmy Noether on her way to the annual conference of the DMV in Königsberg (Danzig-Königsberg ship connection), September 1930 (Photo: Helmut Hasse)
Emmy Noether liked this photo of herself the most. In a letter to Hasse, she asked for the negative so that she could make a new print to give to Bryn Mawr College. In fact, this photo hung at the college for many years. -
Emmy Noether around 1934 (photo made at the Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania, USA)
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Emmy Noether around 1915 (from the estate of David Hilbert, in the archives of the University of Göttingen)
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A rather mocking reply to the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences in Göttingen in response to their inquiry regarding Emmy Noether's admission to habilitation (1918)
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Emmy Noether on the way to solving the Einstein-Hilbert theory
Emmy Noether to Prof. Klein (23.02.1918): "Dear Privy Councillor! I thank you very much for sending me your note and your letter today, and I am very much looking forward to your second note; the notes will certainly contribute greatly to our understanding of the Einstein-Hilbert theory. I was just planning to write to you about the energy theorems and your desideratum. Your approach, which I of course also took at first and which probably also represents the inner reason for the non-existence of energy theorems, unfortunately does not lead to the goal. [Mathematical derivations follow, the letter ends as follows] I want to work this out now, but I can't do it very quickly! Best regards, also from my father. Yours sincerely, Emmy Noether I should remind you that my father will be celebrating his fiftieth anniversary as a doctor on Tuesday, March 5." -
Excerpt from a letter from Albert Einstein to Prof. Klein (24.05.1918)
Einstein writes to Prof. Klein: "Yesterday I received a very interesting paper from Miss Noether on the formation of invariants. It impresses me that these things can be overlooked from such a general point of view. It wouldn't have done the Göttingen field grays any harm if they had been sent to Miss Noether's school. She seems to know her trade." -
Albert Einstein gets the topic of Emmy Noether's “habilitation” rolling again in 1918
Einstein to Klein (27.12.1918): Excerpt "(...) What prompts me to write today is something else: On receiving Miss Noether's new paper, I again felt it was a great injustice that she was being denied the venia legendi [teaching license as a professor]. I would be very much in favor of us taking an energetic step with the Ministry. But if you don't think this is possible, I'll make an effort on my own. Unfortunately, I have to go away for a month. But I would ask you to let me know shortly before my return. If anything should be done before then, please have my signature at your disposal." -
Withdrawal of teaching license in 1933
Although Emmy Noether had no civil servant status (actually was never admitted to it), the withdrawal of her teaching license was justified by the “Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service”.
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Canvas Bag
Turnbeutel
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