This photo appears on our site, and it seems to tell a story: the meeting of two giants.
The episode takes place during the Berliner's January/February 1932 European tour with Furtwängler, whom photographer Erich Salomon — mentioned earlier in our pages — accompanied. On the ferry that carried them overnight (February 8-9) from Harwich (east coast of England) to Hoek van Holland, was another celebrity, Charlie Chaplin.
Erich Salomon was determined to bring them together in front of his lens. When he approached Chaplin, asking his assistant for help, he was told that "The Tramp" didn't even know Furtwängler's name, and that he was already in bed. Finally, at 6:30 a.m. the next day, they met again as the boat was about to dock. The two protagonists silently shook hands, smiled at the camera, and parted without a word...
