When Albert Einstein stopped by Hopi House

There are dozens of iconic images of history’s most famous physicist that demonstrate both his personality and kind heart, but one that doesn’t get as much attention is this picture from 1931 when he visited Hopi House on the Fred Harvey concession at the Grand Canyon.

While on a trip with his wife to do work and get courted by the California Institute of Technology, he took his wife to the Grand Canyon and had this photo taken with 4 Hopi adults and a Hopi child. In the background of the image to the right, we see J. B. Duffy, General Passenger Agent of the ATSF (the famous Atichson, Tokepa and Santa Fe Railroad), and Herman Schweizer, Head of Fred Harvey Curio. The names of the native Americans are unknown.

Oddly enough, the headdress he wore and the pipe in his hand were not Hopi at all but likely from the a Plains Indian tribe. Not much else is known about the image or the trip. Still, the photograph is striking and is part of a large collection of photos that put the man in unexpected situations.