4-21-26. Thomas Craig to H. Poincaré

July 13/88

American Journal of Mathematics

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Md.

My dear M. Poincaré,

It is a very long time since I have had the pleasure of hearing from you. When you last wrote you said that you where engaged on an astronomical memoir – have you finished it yet? I have not seen it – where will you publish it? In the Acta?11endnote: 1 Plausibly, the astronomical memoir in question is “Sur la figure de la Terre” (Poincaré, 1889), a summary of which Poincaré presented to the Paris Academy on 9 July, 1888 (Poincaré, 1888). Then you were going to send me something for the Am. Jour. of Math. – as you know, I shall be both honored and delighted to receive whatever you find convenient to send me for publication.22endnote: 2 Poincaré promised to deliver Craig a manuscript by June 1888 in his letter of 21 September 1887 (§ 4-22-23). In the next number (Vol. XI No. 1) of the Journal I shall have the pleasure of publishing a portrait of M. Hermite. I should like very much to publish your portrait in the next volume. Would you be willing to have me do so? I am sure, in fact I know, that every mathematician from the highest to the lowest would be very much pleased to see the portrait of

“Henri Poincaré

Membre de l’Institut”

If you will consent to have me publish the portrait please send me a good photograph for the purpose. Apropos of the photograph, do you remember giving me one when I had the pleasure of dining with you and Madame Poincaré? It does not look at all like you; you said that you had a bad cold when it was made, but I should very much like to have for myself a photograph of you when you were not ‘enrhumé’. So whether you consent to letting me publish your portrait or not will you not be so kind as to send me a good photograph of yourself? I should prize it very highly. I have quite a fair collection of portraits of mathematicians and I have yours among them, but I have to tell every one who sees yours that “that is not at all like M. Poincaré.” Please my dear friend send me a good one, and please, for the gratification of the mathematical world, allow me to publish your portrait in the Am. Jour. of Math.

I want to propose for membership in the Soc. Math. de France the name of

Mr. Charles H. Chapman

of this University. Mr. Chapman is a Fellow in Mathematics and is a man of very great promise, he will be a most worthy member of the Société Mathématique. I hope Madame Poincaré is very well and also your little daughter Jeanne. My little girl (Ailsa) feels a very great interest in Jeanne and tells me to send her “three loves and three kisses.”

Hoping my dear Monsieur Poincaré to hear from you soon,

I remain as ever,

Very sincerely yours,

Thomas Craig

P.S. I hope you can soon send me a memoir for the Journal and also a ‘tirage à part’ of your astronomical memoir. T.C.

ALS 4p. Collection particulière, Paris 75017.

Time-stamp: "28.01.2021 13:47"

Notes

  • 1 Plausibly, the astronomical memoir in question is “Sur la figure de la Terre” (Poincaré, 1889), a summary of which Poincaré presented to the Paris Academy on 9 July, 1888 (Poincaré, 1888).
  • 2 Poincaré promised to deliver Craig a manuscript by June 1888 in his letter of 21 September 1887 (§ 4-22-23).

References

  • H. Poincaré (1888) Sur la figure de la Terre. Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances de l’Académie des sciences de Paris 107, pp. 67–71. link1 Cited by: endnote 1.
  • H. Poincaré (1889) Sur la figure de la Terre. Bulletin astronomique 6 (1–2), pp. 5–11, 49–60. link1 Cited by: endnote 1.