Scope and Content Note
The papers of Karl Abraham (1877-1925) span the years 1908-1925 and document Abraham’s role in the founding of psychoanalysis, particularly in his native Germany. The papers consist largely of letters from psychoanalysts and others associated with the movement, including Lou Andreas-Salomé, Eugen Bleuler, Franz Deuticke, Wilhelm Fliess, G. Stanley Hall, Ernest Jones, C. G. Jung, Otto Rank, and Theodor Reik. Two letters from Abraham to Max Eitingon written in 1908 are included as well. Also featured in the collection are circular letters from the International Psycho-Analytical Association during Abraham’s presidency from 1924 to 1925 and statements concerning psychoanalytic training drafted during the 1920s. An addition to the papers in 2001 consists of two letters written by Abraham, a letter from Hanns Sachs to Abraham, and a letter from Nelly Wolffheim to Abraham’s widow, Hedwig Abraham. Miscellaneous items include a photocopy of a book inscription by Sigmund Freud and a photocopy of a program from the opening of Abraham’s psychoanalytic outpatient clinic in Berlin in 1920.