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August von Wassermann (1866-
The Cabinet Portrait of the von Wasserman Family by Wilma Stockmann of Hietzing was acquired from an antique centre in Needham Market on 4 March 2008.
As can be seen, the inscription on the reverse of the Cabinet Portrait reads “[two short words illegible] Aūgūst ū Alice ū Robert von Wassermann”.
Preliminary into the name von Wassermann has revealed the existence of August Paul
von Wassermann (1866-
Born in Bamberg, Germany in 1866 to Dora Bauer and Angelo von Wassermann, a banker, August von Wassermann received his secondary education in that country. He received his undergraduate bacteriology degree and medical training at the universities of Erlanger, Vienna, Munich and Strasbourg. In 1895, von Wassermann married Alice von Taussig of Vienna. They later had two sons. More detailed biographies of August von Wasserman can be found at:
http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/2511.html
http://www.faqs.org/health/bios/69/August-
The Evidence
There is evidence to suggest that the Cabinet Portrait acquired by Reminiscene is, indeed, of the famous German physician and bacteriologist.
Wilma Stockmann had her studios at Hietzing. Hietzing is the 13th municipal district of Vienna from which von Wassermann’s wife, Alice, came. It does not seem unreasonable that the von Wassermann family might have had a portrait taken whilst visiting Alice’s family in Vienna.
Although research to date has failed to reveal the names of the two sons born to August and Alice von Wassermann, the photograph includes a male child called Robert von Wassermann.
The most compelling evidence, however, is the photograph itself. We invite you to
compare the August von Wassermann in the Cabinet Portrait with the (albeit older)
August von Wassermann shown at http://www.bookrags.com/biography/august-
© Reminiscene 2008