Freud Family Papers

The collection contains 147 pieces of correspondence between members of the Freud family, the largest part of which is between Sigmund Freud and Sam Freud. The letters are generally sent from family members in Vienna, Austria [Sigmund and Anna Freud], to family members living in Manchester [Samuel Freud and Pauline Hartwig]. The correspondence mainly covers the period between the First and Second World Wars, and contains detailed information about Sigmund Freud's living conditions in Vienna at that time. The letters are personal in content, containing news of family events and the health of Freud. There are really only a handful of letters which contain any considerable discussion of Sigmund Freud's work as a psychoanalyst, providing more emphasis on his personal life. The collection also provides insight into what life was like to own a business in Manchester at this time, through the letters of Sam Freud, a merchant in the city. Also included is a childhood letter from Sigmund Freud written to his half-brother, Emanuel Freud. It was written in response to a letter Sigmund received from a young Sam Freud, thus is the 'beginning' of their long-term correspondence. The collection contains a small number of photographs of Freud family members, and some newspaper cuttings relating to Sigmund Freud. Freud, Sigmund, 1856-1939, founder of psychoanalysis The Interpretation of Dreams Sigmund Freud, son of Jacob Freud (1815-1896), wool merchant, and Amalie Nathansohn (1835-1931), was born on 6 May 1856 in Freiberg, Moravia. Both parents and Freud were Jewish. The family moved to Vienna, Austria, in 1860, where Freud stayed for most of his life. He began his medical studies at Vienna University in 1873 and became famous for founding the theory of psychoanalysis, publishing a number of works throughout his life. Arguably the most famous of these works is , (1899). Freud married Martha Bernays (1861-1951) on 13 September 1886, and they went on to have 6 children: Mathilde, Jean-Martin [Martin], Oliver, Ernst, Sophie, and Anna. He arrived in London as a refugee from the threat of Nazi persecution on 6 June 1938, where he spent the rest of his life. He died from a long-term struggle against cancer of the jaw on 23 September 1939. Freud, Samuel, 1860-1945, merchant Samuel [known as Sam] Freud, was born on 28 June 1860 at Broughton, Manchester, to Emanuel Freud (1833-1914) and Marie Kokach (1835/6-1923). Emanuel Freud was Sigmund Freud's half-brother, Jacob Freud's son from an earlier marriage to Sally Kanner (1831/32-1852). During much of the time period the collection covers, Sam lived with his mother and sisters, Pauline (1856-1944) and Bertha (1859-1940) at 61 Bloom Street, Manchester. The family originally lived in Freiberg, Moravia, but must have moved to Manchester c.1859-60, as Sam was the first child of the family to be born there. Sam also had four other siblings: Johann (1855-?), Matilda (1862-1868), Emily (1865-1868) and Henrietta (12-31 Aug 1866). It is unclear from the correspondence in which specific trade Sam held his business, but it is possible that he took over his father's business as a cloth merchant. Freud, Anna, 1895-1982, psychoanalyst, daughter of Sigmund Freud Anna Freud was born on 3 December 1895 in Vienna, Austria. She made a name for herself working in psychoanalysis, and acted as her father's international ambassador during his later years of illness. She died in London in 1982. Hartwig, Pauline, 1873-1951, née Freud Pauline Maria Freud was born on 21 October 1873 in Manchester to Philipp Freud (1834-1911), merchant, and Matilda Bloome (1839-1925). She married Frederick Oswald Hartwig, a glass manufacturer, in 1921. She died in ?Bucklow, on 23 July 1951. Freud, Morris Herbert Walter, (1876-1938), book-keeper Morris Freud was born on 2 April 1876 in Manchester to Philipp Freud (1834-1911), merchant, and Matilda Bloome (1839-1925). He died in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on 21 November 1938. Siblings of Sigmund Freud: Children of Sigmund Freud: