A Book with Five Pages

«We are like a book. Alexander and I are the covers; Anna, Rosa, Mitzi, Pauli, Dolfi are the five pages,» 11-year-old Freud says about his siblings. All of the daughters receive an education, which is unusual for the time: Anna is one of the first Jewish teachers in Vienna; Rosa is the director of a private school for fine embroidery; Marie («Mitzi») learns bookkeeping; Pauline («Pauli») is also a fine embroidress; and Adolfine («Dolfi») cares for their parents.
Alexander earns the title of «imperial councillor« for his work as a railroad expert and editor of the journal Allgemeiner Tarif-Anzeiger. For many years, he is a beloved travel companion to his older brother. The letters that the siblings exchange reveal both intimate as well as distant relationships: Freud describes Rosa, who lives on Berggasse 19 until 1908, and Dolfi as his favorite sisters. On the other hand, when Anna moved to the United States and Marie to Berlin, Freud feels relieved. Pauline is rarely mentioned, and when she is, Freud refers to her as the aunt of his children.