If Napoleon is correct, “glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.” It’s difficult to know what drives a person to seek fame, but whatever it is Alfred Goldschlager has been waiting patiently in the wings for the better part of the 20th century to record their moment of glory.
The 88 year-old Austrian-born, Brighton resident began collecting signatures at the age of 15. By his own admission he was a constant visitor to the stage doors of the great Viennese opera houses and theatres, where his hunt for autographs almost always resulted in success. Now, more than 70 years later, his extraordinary collection is set to be auctioned by Charles Leski Auctions of Hawthorn.
“I don’t know why I became interested,” he says, “but once I started it was impossible to stop!”
That rush of blood followed him throughout his travels and continued well into his 80s. Today he has a collection that is arguably the most comprehensive of its kind in private hands. It includes the signatures of Sir Winston Churchill, Linus Pauling (among many Nobel Prize winners), Modernist architect Le Corbusier, Charles Dickens, Alexandre Gustav Eiffel, German philosopher Goethe, Charles Darwin, Richard Strauss, Charlie Chaplin and Sigmund Freud. Oh, and Napoleon of course!
Mr Goldschlager, who was born just as the First World War was coming to an end, says autograph collecting was a little-known hobby when he started in the 1930s. These were simpler times when you could reach out and touch celebrities of all stripes, who traded happily on the adoration. Mr Goldschlager didn’t see the commercial value in the autographs, anymore than the celebrities did. For him it was about connecting with fame and the stellar lives they lived. For the writers, singers, actors, painters, scientists and others it was about rewarding the enthusiasm of a passionate fan. It was a transaction of mutual regard and benefit.
With the rise of Nazism and Austria’s dramatic embrace, it became clear to Mr Goldschlager that his life would be better off elsewhere. He packed his bags and headed for Argentina where a cousin lived. While Jews were welcome there, entry was via the back door – in this case Uruguay. When the boat docked in Buenos Aries, the only passengers forced to remain on board were Mr Goldschlager and two people suffering from Trachoma, a highly contagious eye disease. In a snap decision that he regrets to this day, he entrusted his belongings including a single but prized autograph album to another passenger.
“I never doubted that I would get to Argentina,” Mr Goldschlager said, recalling that moment which still evokes painful memories.
“I think by giving most of my possessions to a fellow traveller, I was reinforcing my resolve to return. Unfortunately he saw an opportunity at my expense.”
After living out the war years in Buenos Aries, he arrived in Australia and set about rebuilding his life. He eventually started a timber business with his father, continuing a family tradition that began two generations earlier in Austria.
“Life was tough,” he recalls, “especially for new immigrants who had no money and limited English.
“But I never lost my taste for collecting!”
Once established and with his business running successfully, Mr Goldschlager was able to indulge more actively in his hobby. In an ironic twist he opened the ‘Autographs, Documents and Fine Arts Gallery’ on the third floor of a non-descript Flinders Lane building. Ironic, because he rarely advertised and only chose to open the gallery when it suited him.
While on the surface it appears to be a curious decision, it actually says a lot about him. He is a self-made man who is possessed with enormous energy, spirit and self-confidence. One could argue that the gallery was never meant to be a commercial venture but rather a repository of the people who gave him so much pleasure. In a sense he was giving them something back, not the least of which was their dignity.
His decision to sell the collection was not an easy one. But he says with age there is a realisation that some things have come to an end. It’s time to let his ‘friends’ go and allow others to enjoy the pleasure that he’s had for so long. Those fortunate enough to acquire one of the autographs will establish a link to a bygone era and the enthusiasm of a young man who craved worlds far beyond his own.
The auction of the Alfred Goldschlager Collection will be held on August 16th from 6.30pm
Have a look at Auction 293 - Autographs, Sport & General Memorabilia
Have a look at Auction 293 - Autographs
Have a look at the Auction Calendar
Issued by: Michael Krape, Michael Krape Consulting Tel: 0403 135 880 michaelkrape@krape.com.au
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