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Satie, Erik, French composer (1866-1925).
3 autograph lettercards signed (address field) and monogrammed "ES". Arcueil, 7 Feb., 16 Feb. and 26 Feb. 1924.
12mo. Together 3 pp. Highly interesting correspondence with the young conductor Roger Désormière (1898-1963) concerning a commission for the ballet "Mercure", a possible adaptation of his ballet music "La Belle Excentrique" as a symphonic piece, and Satie's rupture with the Groupe des Six. - On 7 February 1924, Satie criticizes the conductor Paul Paray, and especially his former friends Georges Auric and Francis Poulenc, implying that they make "rotten compromises", while lauding the André Caplet, Vladimir Golschmann, and the recipient as the "only three conductors" that he knows. In spite of a dismissive remark about the soprano Marguertie Bériza, he signals interest in working with her and Désormière: "Pour les spectacles de cette dame, disposez de moi comme vous l'entendrez". - The attack on Auric and Poulenc of the Groupe des Six foreshadows Satie's public rupture with his former friends in an article for the Paris-Journal published on 15 February. In the meantime, Satie had been commissioned to compose ballet music for Étienne de Beaumont's company "Soirées de Paris". The letter from 16 February reflects both events, with Satie first expressing his joy that Désormière was chosen as conductor of the Beaumont "thing", which would become "Mercure". Another project was the symphonic adaptation of his ballet music for "La Belle Excentrique" (1921) for one of Désormière's concerts. Satie concedes that the dancer Élisabeth Toulemont, known as Caryathis, was the owner of the piece, but appears to scold Georges Auric for objecting to the adaptation of the material due to her ownership. He announces he shall "write two little things in collaboration with Tzara" and stresses that he has "the right to turn 'la Belle Excentrique' into a symphonic piece, which Auric knows well but does not say". In closing, Satie advises Désormière to obtain a copy of his piano arrangement of "La Belle Excentrique", published by the famous Éditions de la Sirène in 1922. - The final letter in the collection from 26 February is a reaffirmation of Satie's plans for a rearrangement of "La Belle Excentrique" in order to reassure an impatient Désormière: "I work for you: give me, however, the time to compose what I have to do. Will you be so kind? ... Concerning 'La Belle Excentrique' do not 'worry': as soon as Caryathis will be back from the Midi, I will have the complete material. Yes" (transl.). - Désormière conducted "La Belle Excentrique" on 5 April at Charles Dullin's Théâre de l'Atelier. The premiere of the ballet "Mercure" with Satie's music, stage and costume designs by Pablo Picasso, and a choreography by Léonide Massine on 14 June 1924 resulted in a theatre scandal, as factions of the Parisian avantgarde audience clashed and the Surrealist group led by André Breton and Louis Aragon disrupted the performance. - Traces of folds. Minimally stained. Letter from 16 February somewhat creased. The letter from 16 February is published in the Correspondance presque complète, no. 1049.
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Strauss, Richard, Komponist und Dirigent (1864-1949).
Eigenh. Notenzeile mit U. O. O. u. D.
1 S. Qu.-4to. Drei Takte in einer Zeile. - Mit einem winzigen, unregelmäßig beschnittenen und stark oxidierten Portrait des Komponisten (ca. 27:18 mm, dort auch Klebespuren).
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Strawinsky, Igor, Russian, and later French and American, composer, pianist, and conductor (1882-1971).
Autograph manuscript signed. Paris, 30. VI. 1928.
4to. 1 page, watermarked 'Victory Extra Strong'. Written in pencil. A note for a hasty departure and a missed luncheon, addressed to "Monsieur Paris" and signed by Strawinsky. Strawinsky writes to ask that matters of sums and business be sent "à la Maison Pleyel". Somewhat unusually, while in Paris Strawinsky earned extra income by writing arrangements for the piano design company Pleyel, and was particularly interested in their player pianos. To his recipient, Strawinsky apologizes, "excusez moi mon griffonage" and concludes, "P.S. J'ai beaucoup regretté que ne pas pouvoir déjeuner avec vous aujourdhui", ending with a second abbreviated signature. - Gently creased along folds.
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Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich, Russian composer (1840-1893).
Portrait photograph inscribed and signed. , 16 March 1888.
Albumen print (vintage), 129 x 100 mm on backing cardboard (152 x 106 mm) with gilt imprint of the Müller & Pilgram studio in Leipzig. Gilt and bevelled edges. Fine head-and-shoulders portrait in quarter profile, within a white vignette, inscribed by Tchaikovsky to the French conductor and violinist Édouard Colonne (1838-1910), thanking him warmly for having made his music successful in France: "A mon cher ami Edouard Colonne de la part d’un artiste fier de ses succès Parisiens qu'il n'a obtenus que grâce au chef éminent du célèbre orchestre du Chatelet". - Colonne's orchestra, the "Association Artistique des Concerts Colonne" situated at the Théâtre du Châtelet since 1875, famously performed the works of contemporary French composers (doing much to rehabilitate Berlioz in his native country), but also devoted itself to the works of foreign masters, notably Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. The orchestra would also invide great composers such as Mahler, Debussy, or Prokofiev to perform their works. Colonne had met Tchaikovsky as early as 1878 during the Russian composer's visit to Paris and gave the local premiere of his 4th Symphony. In return, from 1890 onwards Tchaikovsky mediated several 'exchange' concert trips for Colonne to Russia. - A few old pencil notes on the reverse; very finely preserved.
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Bauhin, Caspar (Gaspard), Mediziner und Botaniker (1560-1624).
Eigenh. Albumblatt mit U. Basel, 14. IV. 1624.
½ S. Qu.-kl.-8vo. "Omnia vanitas praeter Deum amare" ("Alles ist eitel, außer Gott zu lieben"). - Bauhin wirkte ab 1582 in Basel, wo er an der Universität lehrte und den botanischen Garten der Stadt errichtete. Als Nachfolger von Felix Platter wurde er 1614 auch Stadtarzt und Professor für praktische Medizin. Bauhin verstarb im Dezember 1624, nur wenige Monate nach der Abfassung des vorliegenden Blattes. - Kleine Spuren alter Montage im linken Rand, sonst tadellos erhalten. Aus einer renommierten alten Basler Privatsammlung.
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Einstein, Albert, Physiker und Nobelpreisträger (1879-1955).
Gedruckte Dankeskarte mit fünf eigenh. Zeilen und U. Princeton, New Jersey, [10. IV.] 1954.
1 S. Qu.-kl.-8vo. Mit ms. adr. Kuvert. An die Schweizer Juristin und Frauenrechtlerin Elisabeth Nägeli (1897-1988), die ihm zum Geburtstag gratuliert hatte: "Freundlichen Dank für Ihre Mitteilungen, die alte Zeiten lebendig werden lassen. Ein alter Zigeuner hat es in dieser Beziehung nicht leicht […]". - Aus einer renommierten alten Basler Privatsammlung. Tadellos erhalten.
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Einstein, Albert, Physiker und Nobelpreisträger (1879-1955).
Ms. Brief mit eigenh. U. ("A. Einstein"). Princeton, NJ, 20. VIII. 1949.
½ S. 4to. An den aus Berlin gebürtigen Film-Schnittmeister Viktor Palfi, den Sohn des langjährigen Leiters der Kurfürstenoper und Bruder der deutsch-amerikanischen Fotografin Marion Palfi, der sich mit einer Bitte des Schauspielers Curt Bois, der aus dem amerikanischen Exil nach Europa zurückkehren wollte, an ihn gewandt hatte: "Ich verstehe den Wunsch von Herrn Bois sehr wohl, sehe aber nicht, was ich tun könnte, um ihm in seiner Bestrebung zu helfen [...]". - Auf Briefpapier mit gepr. Briefkopf; Faltspuren.
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Faraday, Michael, Naturforscher und Experimentalphysiker (1791-1867).
Eigenh. Brief mit U. ("M. Faraday"). O. O., 20. XII. [ca. 1840].
(18:11 cm). 1 S. auf 1 Bl. An Charles (?) Wiener: "Dear Sir, I have only now viewed your note but I hope Mr Arbour [?] has done what he could for you. The Board of Managers heartily agreed to your application". In Brighton hielt sich Michael Faraday wiederholt zur Erholung auf, nachdem er Ende 1839, ermattet von zahlreichen Verpflichtungen, einen schweren gesundheitlichen Zusammenbruch erlitten hatte. - Etwas gebräunt und ein größerer Ausriss am linken Rand (geringf. Buchstabenverlust im Vornamen des Adressaten). Mit schwarzem Trauerrand.
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Hahn, Otto, Chemiker und Nobelpreisträger (1879-1968).
3 ms. Briefe und 1 teils eigenh. Billett mit U. Göttingen, 1954 und 1959.
Zusammen 4½ SS. auf 5 Bll. 4to und kl.-4to. Mit 3 ms. adr. Kuverts. An Emil August Fester, u. a. über die im Jahre 1933 gemeinsam unternommene Reise auf der "Hamburg" in die USA. Sehr deutlich erinnere er sich an Julius Petersen, "den Berliner Germanisten, der mit uns am Kapitänstisch sass. Nicht erinnere ich mich an Ida Gräfin Hahn-Hahn, wohl aber an eine Excellenz aus Lichterfelde-West - ihren Namen habe ich im Augenblick vergessen -, die ich später in Deutschland wieder mehrmals getroffen habe. In der Tat habe ich Ihnen und den anderen Teilnehmern vom Kapitänstisch in meinem dunklen Zimmer auch ein radioaktives Präparat gezeigt. Es war das von mir viele Jahre früher entdeckte Radiothorium, das im Dunkeln eine auf dem Leuchtschirm gut sichtbare radioaktive Emanation abgab [...]" (16. XI. 1954). - Weiters über Robert Tunstall Walkers Buch "The Origin and History of the Earth", das Fester ihm zugesandt hatte: "Das erste Kapitel Fundamentals habe ich durchgelesen und finde es durchaus gut. Was nun die späteren Kapiteln anbelangt, die den Hauptinhalt des Buches ausmachen, nämlich z. B. die Ursache von Vulkanismus und Gesteinskunde und die Geschichte der Erde, vor allen Dingen was die Geologie anbelangt, so fühle ich mich doch nicht so sachverständig, dass ich ein eigenes Urteil darüber abgeben könnte […]". - Emil August Fester war Prokurist der Philipp Holzmann A.G. zum Bau der Bagdad-Bahn gewesen, lebte lange im Orient und trat 1926 als Prokurist in die IG Farben über. Schließlich leitete er von 1931 bis 1945 als Direktor das Glaubersalz-Syndikat der International Saltcake Association und lebte seit 1945 im Ruhestand, wo er sich um den Wiederaufbau der Frankfurter Oper Verdienste erwarb. - Die Briefe auf Briefpapier mit gedr. Briefkopf.
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Haller, Albrecht von, Dichter, Arzt und Naturforscher (1708-1777).
Eigenh. Brief mit U. Bern, 18. V. 1772.
½ S. auf Doppelblatt. 4to. An einen ungenannten Adressaten mit der Ankündigung ein Manuskript des Arztes und Botanikers Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert mit Anmerkungen für den Autor zu retournieren: "Je viens de lire Monsieur le Ms. de M. Gilibert, il est pret pour Vous etre renvoyé de la maniere, que Vous jugerez la plus convenable. J'y ajouterai une reponse pour l'Auteur, ou je marquerai l'idée que j'ai prise de cet ouvrage [...]". - Der französische Botaniker Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert (1741-1814) ging 1775 auf Vermittlung Hallers nach Vilnius und später nach Grodno, wo er bedeutende botanische Gärten anlegte. - Leicht stockfleckig.
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Heidegger, Martin.
Logos. Sonderdruck aus Festschrift für Hans Jantzen. Berlin, Gebr. Mann, 1951.
8vo (17 x 25 cm). (12) pp., numbered 7-18. With the author's autograph inscription, date and signature. Singular material evidence of Sartre's visit to Freiburg in 1952 and the personal relationship between two of the leading figures in continental philosophy from the mid-twentieth century. - Heidegger's influence on Sartre's thought was gratefully acknowledged by the French philosopher from early on in his career as an author. The very title of Sartre's essay in phenomenological ontology, "L'être et le néant" ("Being and Nothingness", 1943) referenced Heidegger's own "Sein und Zeit" ("Being and Time"), which had been published a decade earlier, in 1934. Despite the two thinkers' initial mutual admiration and the apparent overlaps in their thought, their differences became progressively clear throughout the 1940s. Heidegger reacted strongly to Sartre's "L'existentialisme est un humanisme" ("Existentialism is a Humanism", 1946) in a letter to his friend Jean Beaufret. This letter was published the following year in redacted form as "Über den Humanismus" ("On Humanism"), often referred to as the 'Humanismusbrief'. Undeterred by this and increasing criticism of his 'imprecise' engagement with Heidegger's ideas among contemporary commentators, Sartre arranged to meet with his German colleague in December 1952 (cf. Janicaud I, 133f.; Thomä 430). Having been invited to give a lecture (where he found his reception by the students somewhat "cold", (De Beauvoir 311), Sartre had a short meeting with Heidegger at which, "il me regardait avec une infinie pitié. À la fin, je parlais à son chapeau" ("he looked at me with infinte pity. In the end, I was talking to his hat", Cau 253). - Whilst the experience seems thus to have been disappointing from Sartre's point of view, Heidegger nonetheless took the trouble to send him the present offprint "zur Erinnerung an den Freiburger Besuch" ("in memory of the visit to Freiburg") on 12 February 1953. Heidegger's essay on the central concept of 'Logos' opens with reflections on Heraclitus' Fragment B50 and appeared as a chapter in the Festschrift published for the 70th birthday of the art historian Hans Jantzen. - Light browning throughout. Cf. J. Cau, Croquis de mémoire (Paris, 1985). S. de Beauvoir, La force des choses (Paris, 1963). C. Janicaud, Heidegger en France, 2 vols. (Paris, 2001). D. Thomä, Heidegger-Handbuch. Leben - Werk - Wirkung (Stuttgart, 2013).
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Herschel, John Frederick William, Astronom und Naturforscher (1792-1871).
Eigenh. Brief mit U. "32 Harley Street" (London), 24. X. 1851.
3 SS. auf Doppelbll. 8vo. An den Astronomen John William Lubbock: "Excuse my leaving your kind note so long unreplied to. It found its way down to Hawkhurst where where I have been passing a few days to get a gulp of fresh air and where I yesterday left Lady H[erschel] and all our Tribe well and engaged in resuming for the autumn their Home avocations - much and long interrupted by their summer dissipation and by their Mother's absence from them during the last 3 or 4 weeks. Many thanks for your kind invitation but at present I fear we shall not be able to avail ourselves of it. I am going now to remain here till Xmas. Thank heaven the Exhibition is closed! But I hear the mutterings of the thunder of discontent as the Jury awards growling in the distance and I portend a storm of no ordinary kind […]". - Herschel hatte bei der ersten Weltausstellung, die am 11. Oktober zu Ende gegangen war, in der Jury für "philosophical instruments" gesessen und sich danach auch Alexander von Humboldt gegenüber negativ über dieses Ehrenamt geäußert. - Am linken Falz auf Trägerpapier montiert (dieses verso mit kleinen Montagespuren).
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Herschel, John Frederick William, Astronom und Naturforscher (1792-1871).
Eigenh. Brief mit U. Collingwood, 17. IV. 1865.
2 SS. auf Doppelbll. 8vo. An das von 1863 bis 1867 erschienene Wochenblatt "The Reader" mit der Mitteilung, dass er nicht auf einer "list of contributors" aufscheinen wolle: "It is now very long that I have ceased to make anything that deserves to be called an Astronomical observation - not having indeed so much as a telescope mounted for work, so thus whatever I may do in this line is in the nature of work at second hand, or at best of a speculative nature [...]". - Stellenweise gering fleckig und mit kleinen Montagespuren, sonst gut erhalten.
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Hooker, Sir Joseph Dalton, British botanist and explorer (1817-1911).
3 autograph letters signed "Jos. D. Hooker". Kew and The Camp, Sunningdale, Berkshire, 1877-1909.
8vo and 12mo. Together 6 pp. on bifolia. With an autograph note attributed to William Jackson Hooker and an autograph letter monogrammed by the botanist Daniel Oliver. Scientific correspondence by the great botanist with mostly unnamed colleagues, concerning the exchange of specimens and their various designations. The earliest letter is addressed to the American botanist Michael Schuck Bebb, answering questions about willows: "The enclosed herewith contains the best that we can do for you in regard to the willows which Prof. Oliver has drawn up [...] We have no specimen named S. pyrifolia Anders [...]" (Kew, April 1877). - The keeper and librarian of the herbarium in Kew, Daniel Oliver (1830-1916), is also mentioned in the second letter to an unnamed recipient from 19 March 1884. Hooker announces that he has instructed Oliver to send specimens of "Exotic Grasses" to the correspondent and thanks him for contributions to his magnum opus, "Genera Plantarum": "It will give me great pleasure to contribute to your collection of Exotic Grasses, I have instructed Prof. Oliver accordingly. You have laid us under great obligations in the aid you have given us in respect of the Genera Plantarum. Your offer of specimens of [...] Transylvanian Grasses is most welcome [...] but I must beg you to wait till we have sent you some contributions from Kew." The correspondent had inquired about Hooker's famous collaborator George Bentham (1800-84), to which he responds: "You will have been gratified by hearing before this that my venerable coadjutor, Mr Bentham is alive & working hard at the Lilianae for 'Gen. Plant.' He has not been well of late, & I wish that his bodily health was as good as his altogether unimpaired faculties of sight, analysis, memory & judgement! These at 82 are quite wonderful & show no sign of change. A troublesome cough has weakened him a good deal [...]". Bentham, who late in his life had been "converted" to Darwinism by his young colleague Hooker and who co-authored the "Genera Plantarum", would die in September that year. - In the final letter of the collection, an aged Hooker thanks his correspondent for two specimens of the genus Impatiens and criticizes the quality of some specimens from the collection of the Austrian hortologist Carl von Hügel: "The two species of Impatiens have arrived & I have examined & named them [...] I have examined & named, as far as I can, all the Asiatic species [...] which I have delayed returning until the plates of several species are completed for the forthcoming Part of 'Hooker's Icones Plantarum' in which they will appear. I have sorted the species according the countries which they inhabit. There are some undescribed species in Baron Hugel's collection but without habitats & the specimens being very poor I think it better not to name them [...]". Carl von Hügel (1795-1870) was a diplomat, botanist and explorer who wrote a famous account of his travels in Northern India, introduced many Australian plants to Europe and was the founder of the Imperial Horticultural Society in Vienna. - The undated note that can be attributed to William Jackson Hooker (1785-1865), father of Joseph Dalton and first director at Kew from 1841 onwards, concerns the identification of an orchid: "I am unacquainted with this plant. It may be Rchb's Sobralia Bletia [...]. At all events it is not S. fragrans - which differs in size & the appendages of the column which in S. fragrans are short blunt and not fringed. I take for granted that the leaves are not hairy beneath as the drawing does not indicate them. If they are you had better look to S. Galeotti [...]". - David Oliver's letter from 12 July 1876 to an unnamed friend and colleague concerns the difficult identification of plants and includes two sketches. In closing, Oliver also mentions Joseph Dalton Hooker's intention to marry his second wife Lady Hyacinth Jardine, daughter of William Samuel Symonds: "Entre-nous [...] our good Chief J Hooker intends to marry Lady Jardine [...]". Hooker and Jardine did indeed marry that year. - Two of Hooker's letters on stationery with embossed letterhead of the Royal Gardens at Kew. The letter from 1909 with letterhead of Hooker's private residence "The Camp, near Sunningdale". Traces of folds. Minor browning and minimal stains. With collector's notes in pencil. - The note by William Jackson Hooker on stationery with stamp of the "Horticultural Society 21, Regent Street". With staple holes and collector's note in pencil. - The letter from Oliver on stationery with embossed letterhead of the Royal Gardens at Kew. Somewhat stained.
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Bertoni, Wander, Bildhauer (1925-2019).
Ms. Brief mit eigenh. U. Wien, 12. V. 1972.
½ S. 4to. An einen Dr. Blaha: "Zugleich mit Herrn Dr. Lang möchte ich auch Ihnen für den Ankauf der Plastik 'C' herzlich danken. Es ist mir damit sehr geholfen [...]". - Auf Briefpapier mit gedr. Briefkopf.
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Corbusier, Charles-Édouard le, Swiss-French architect (1887-1965).
Autograph letter signed. No place, 15. VIII. 1935.
8vo. 2 leaves, plus two 4to leaves of typed letters to Le Corbusier (carbon copies, 19 April and 16 Sept. 1935). Writing to his "cher ami" Pierre Abraham (1892-1974), a French author and ex-aviation officer who in 1935 was leading the research team compiling the new French encyclopedia. Le Corbusier writes that he has received a previous letter, informs Abraham of a Paris address and travel plans to America ("Partirai le 16 oct. à New York pour 2 mois"), and mentions that he has sent the requested information and "3 photos de l'architecture". Signed thrice on the handwritten pages, with "Le Corbusier" signed twice on the first leaf, and "LC" on the second. - The two typed letters, also from Le Corbusier, are both related to Abraham and the Encyclopedia, in which Le Corbusier evidently had some involvement, especially in acquiring material. - Later name and number added to margins of first leaf in blue crayon; a few faint smudges, gentle creasing. The typewritten leaves are on delicate paper, with some marginal chipping, and are likewise numbered.
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Corot, Jean-Baptiste Camille, French painter (1796-1875).
3 autograph letters signed ("C. Corot"). Paris, 1866-1867.
8vo. Altogether 3½ pp. Together with a letter by the politician Hippolyte Chauchard in connection with Corot's letters. Interesting correspondence with the mayor of Langres, Pierre Durand, concerning a possible loan of Corot's painting "Christ on the Mount of Olives" (1849) from the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Langres for the Exposition Universelle in 1867. In the earliest letter from 25 November 1866, Corot politely requests his painting for the important exhibition in Paris: "Je vous prierois de m'accorder, pour mettre à l'Exposition universelle de peinture, le tableau (Le Christ au jardin des oliviers) que vous avez de moi, dans le musée de votre ville [...]". Durand drafted his response directly on Corot's letter, agreeing to the loan under the condition that all expenses are paid. He adds that "the museum would be honoured to receive a new canvas from him". On 25 December 1866, Corot informs Durand that the painting is not eligible for the exhibition, as it was painted before 1855, and expresses his regrets that he will not be able to present it to a wider audience: "J'ai bien à vous remercier de la bonté avec laquelle vous m'avez accordé votre tableau du Christ. Je vous dirai avec regret que le tableau étant fait avant l'année 1855, il ne pouvait être exposé à cette Exposition universelle. J'en suis bien fâché, j'aurais été heureux de pouvoir le montrer au public [...]". Judging from the curious final letter, dated 23 February 1867, Corot probably forgot that the he had already informed Durand about the exhibition policy that rendered the loan unnecessary: "I am afraid I forgot to inform you that the exhibition rules would not allow for my Christ to be shown, as it was made too long ago (1849) [...]" (transl.). - Hippolyte Chauchard, then a member of parliament for the Haute-Marne department, wrote to Pierre Durand on 5 December 1866 in support of Corot's request for the loan. Interestingly, he adds that the painting was originally intended for the Musée du Luxembourg and that Corot "cried tears of blood" when it was finally placed in the museum in Langres (La Ferté, 5 December 1866). - The 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris was highly successful for Corot. He showed seven important paintings, received a medal, and was subsequently promoted officer of the Légion d'honneur. - All letters with several pinholes in the lower left corner. Some browning overall with traces of folds.
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Defregger, Franz, Austrian painter (1835-1921).
Autograph letter signed. Munich, 25 Jan. 1885.
8vo. 1 page, written in ink. To an unidentified artist, requesting a leftover sketch or portrait that he can spare: "Geehrtester Herr College! Mit Diesem möchte ich Ihnen nur versichern, daß es mit der Skizze od. Bildniß durchaus keine Eile hat Wie gesagt, wenn Sie vielleicht einen kleinen Studienkopf oder eine kleine Skizze haben auf die Sie keinen Werth mehr legen bin ich Ihnen sehr dankbar. Mich Ihrer geehrten Frau Gemahlin bestens empfehlend zeichnet mit collegialem Gruß [...]".
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Doré, Gustave, French artist (1832-1883).
Autograph letter signed, with an ink drawing. No place or date, "Vendredi".
8vo. 1 leaf. 4 pages on bifolium. An amusing letter to "Chère Adèle", adorned with a large original drawing at the head. Doré depicts himself from behind, disheveled, bowed, and advancing humbly towards a woman who has her back to him, arms crossed, holding a large walking stick and silhouetted by a mountain landscape. "Je viens d'apprendre par votre aimable enfant, que vous me boudez d'une façon grave et qu'il me faut vous approcher très précautieusement si je veux me faire écouter: c'est ce que j'essaie de faire, comme vous l'indique la planche ci-dessus". Doré assures her of his faithful correspondence, and wonders whether he underestimated the time necessary for a letter to reach Lucerne and then Interlaken. He is sorry "de n'avoir pas reçu de lettre de vous" and suggests that "avant de mal penser d'un ami comme moi, vous pourriez bien avoir le soupçon de tout autre contretemps indépendant de ma volonté". Moreover, he is surprised that she has cut short her trip, and that she has "laissé de côté cet admirable Chamouny". At least he is happy to have found her, but the struggles of Doré are not quite at an end; he also suffers from an "affreuse grippe qui me rend incapable de rien faire". A possible recipient of this lively note would be Adèle Cassin, Marquise de Landolfo Carcano, a patron of the arts and collector of painters, including Doré. - Gently creased along folds. Paper blindstamped with a letter D just above the drawing.
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Édouard, Manet, French painter (1832-1883).
Autograph letter signed. Paris, 26 May 1875 [postmark].
8vo. 1 p. on bifolium. With autograph envelope. To his only female student Éva Gonzalès, informing her that the art dealer Templaër is willing to exhibit a painting of hers, which she should finish "fast and well" and for which she should ask 1500 to 2000 francs: "Mademoiselle, Templaer exposera votre tableau quand vous voudrez. Dépêchez-vous de le terminer vite et bien et joignez-y une petite notice et le prix - demandez 2000 frs, laissé à 1500". - Éva Gonzalès (1847-83), the daughter of the novelist Emmanuel Gonzalès, was a student of Charles Chaplin and Gustave Brion before being introduced to Édouard Manet, who accepted her as his student and supported her career. In the salon of 1870, Gonzalès first presented her work alongside Manet's famous portrait of her working at an easel. In 1879, Gonzalès married the graphic artist Henri Guérard, a close friend and collaborator of Manet. - On stationery with printed address "4 Rue Saint Petersbourg", Manet's residence from 1872 to 1878. - Traces of folds and minimally stained. With a collector's note in pencil. The envelope with printed monogram "M" and somewhat dust-soiled.
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Kokoschka, Oskar, Maler, Graphiker und Schriftsteller (1886-1980).
Eigenh. Brief mit U. [Villeneuve (Vaud)], 18. I. 1960.
2 SS. 8vo. Mit eh. adr. Kuvert. Ohne den im Text erwähnten "beigelegten Brief". An den österreichischen Unterrichtsminister Heinrich Drimmel über den Erhalt der von Adolf Loos erbauten Villa Müller in Prag: "Darf ich Sie bitten den beigelegten Brief zu lesen und eventuell die 'Unesco' dafür zu interessieren dass das Adolf Loos Haus als Museum bestehen bleibt. Daß ich mich an die cechische Kulturstelle wendete, wie im Briefe vorgeschlagen wird, wäre zwecklos und vielleicht sogar schädlich. Zufällig und gleichzeitig mit diesem Schreiben berichtete mir ein Bekannter, der kürzlich mit Frau Ing. Müller in Prag gesprochen hatte, daß der alten Dame, die seit 25 Jahren das Haus betreut hatte, Delogierung droht, die Möbel und Bilder enteignet werden sollen. Ob das Volkswohl diese Maßnahmen bedingt oder ob Frau Müller ideologisch nicht linientreu war, weiß ich nicht, jedoch wäre eine freundliche Vorstellung in Prag seitens der österreichischen Regierung zeitgemäß, wenn bald des 90. Geburtstages dieses Pioniers des modernen Bauens in der gesamten Kulturwelt gedacht werden wird [...]". Weiters über die Nachfolge des aus der kunsthistorischen Fakultät ausscheidenden Karl M. Swoboda. - Die von Adolf Loos und Karel Lhota gemeinsam errichtete Villa des Bauunternehmers František Müller wurde nach dessen Tod 1951 von dessen Witwe allein bewohnt. "In dieser Zeit des beginnenden Sozialismus verfiel die Villa weitestgehend, da nur zwei Räume im ursprünglichen Sinne genutzt wurden, während die anderen kommunistische Institutionen beherbergten. Nach der Samtenen Revolution kaufte die Stadt Prag das Haus und ließ es nach überlieferten Fotografien von 1998 bis 2000 rekonstruieren bzw. revitalisieren. Das Gebäude ist heute ein Museum" (Wikipedia). - Das Kuvert mit montiertem Adressschildchen.
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Laske, Oskar, Maler und Graphiker (1874-1951).
Eigenh. Brief mit U. ("O.") und einer mehr als halbseitigen ankolorierten Handzeichnung. O. O., 3. II. 1950.
2 SS. 8vo. An einen Freund: "Ich komme heut mit einer Bitte. Wir haben noch immer jeden Dienstag abend die Dir bekannten Zusammenkünfte - von Bekannten und Unbekannten. Nun war unlängst der Redakteur Dr. Eigl mit dabei, der hat nun die Idee, diese Gespräche festzuhalten und als ein Büchl zu verlegen. Roretz, Brechler, Fabricius, Dr. Rathe würden so kleine Beiträge dazu geben. Nun wäre es in erster Linie fein, wenn Du so ein paar Zeilen (nur falls es Dir nicht unangenehm) dazu tun würdest. Ganz nach Deinem Belieben. Lieber eher ernst als humoristisch weil meine Gäste, die bei Führungen viel diese sogen. Tagebücher ansehen, ohnehin mich eher als einen Kasperl als einen ernsten Maler ansehen. Ich bin gar nicht gekränkt, wenn Du es nicht machst. Ich arbeite an dem Ölbild Harpyien, Erinnyen, Grazien etc. diesem raufenden griech. mythol. Gesindel [...]". Zur Unterschrift ein karikierendes Selbstportrait mit Pfeife.
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Laske, Oskar, Maler und Graphiker (1874-1951).
Eigenh. Brief mit U. und einer halbseitigen Handzeichnung. O. O., [1946 oder 1947].
1 S. 4to. An den Kunsthistoriker Gustav Künstler: "Dank für den herrlichen Nachtrag zu Robinson. Es war ein sehr angenehmes Ding. Ich bin überhaupt immer sehr für Nachträge [...]". - Daniel Defoes "Robin Crusoe" - "nach der Originalausgabe neu erzählt von Ulrich Keyn" - war 1946 im Berglandverlag erschienen; die Illustrationen dazu stammten von Oskar Laske. - Mit Laskes rotem Signaturstempel (Vögelchen im Quadrat); verso kleine Spuren von alter Montage. Beiliegend ein zwei eh. Briefkarten von Laskes Witwe Viktoria (Vita) zur Schenkung des Briefes an Dorothea Blaha, die mit Künstler zusammen im Wiener Kunstverlag Anton Schroll gearbeitet hatte.
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Masson, André, Maler (1896-1987).
Eigenh. Manuskript "L'Effusioniste ou La Lumière Délivrée" (Entwurf). O. O., [1954/1955].
Ca. 21 SS. auf 12 Bll. 4to und qu.-8vo. Meist in Bleistift. "Dans le texte I: La lumière délivrée / La lumière appartenant à tous et le peintre exténue par son œuvre de devant la ramène continuellement à l'acceptation commune [...] Remarque: Cette peinture de l'essentiel ne saurait être confondue avec la peinture que l'on appell abstracte [...]" ("In Text I: Das erlöste Licht / Das Licht gehört allen, und der Maler durch sein Werk vor der Zeit erschöpft bringt es immer wieder zur allgemeinen Akzeptanz zurück [...] Anmerkung: Diese Malerei des Wesentlichen ist nicht mit der abstrakten Malerei zu verwechseln [...]"). - Der kunsttheoretische Essay "Der Effusionist" erschien neben anderen Texten Massons unter dem deutschen Titel "Eine Kunst des Wesentlichen. Essays" (Wiesbaden, Limes Verlag, 1961), im französischen Original erschien der Artikel in der "Nouvelle Revue Francaise" (Paris 1957). - Stellenweise mit leichten Randläsuren.
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Rodríguez, Mariano, Cuban painter (1912-1990).
Original ink sketches and pochoir print, signed. [Havana], no year.
5 leaves, 4 with signed ink sketches and 1 pochoir print signed in the plate. The iconic Rodríguez rooster, sketched in ink. Rodríguez began to paint roosters in 1941, and over the course of his career the rooster became a symbol of Cubanness as well as a way to explore new ranges of colour and shape; he retained the theme even through his abstract cubism phase. The sketches are each studies signed simply "M.", two of which include notes in Rodríguez's hand deciding on the colours to be used in later iterations. The pochoir print illustrates this exploration of colour and the influence of Mexican art on his work in its use of bright red, blue, black, and yellow ochre. - Three of the studies are on stationery from the Casa de las Americas and all are tucked into a contemporary envelope with the Camara de Comercio de la Republica de Cuba letterhead, marking them as true originals. Casa de las Americas was an institution founded just after the Cuban Revolution for the promotion of the arts in wider Latin America. The first president of Casa de las Americas was female revolutionary guerilla fighter Haydée Santamaría; the second was Mariano Rodríguez himself. - Light foxing, a few minor stains, otherwise in good condition.
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Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri de, French painter and illustrator (1864-1901).
Autograph letter signed ("Henri"). London, Charing Cross Hotel, 8. VI. 1898.
8vo. 4 pp. on bifolium. Charming and insightful letter to his mother Adèle sent from a surprise visit to London, where he accompanied his old friend, the art dealer Maurice Joyant. Toulouse-Lautrec expresses high hopes for a coming exhibition at the Goupil Gallery in London, organized by Joyant, citing his friend's successful publication of an album of drawings by Degas (Edgar Degas, Vingt dessins 1861-1896. Paris, Boussod, Manzi, Joyant et Cie). He reports on the preparations for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee on 22 June 1897, describing London as being "turned over to the carpenters who install grandstands reaching up to the chimneys to see the gracious old lady pass by". In closing, Toulouse-Lautrec announces the completion of his move to 5, Avenue Frochot for his return to Paris and thanks his mother for clothes and 500 francs. The letter in full: "Ma chère Maman, vous allez être un peu étonnée de me savoir en bombe à Londres pour deux jours. J'ai accompagné mon ami Joyant qui installe son associé Londonien. J'ai vu pas mal d'affaires se conclure et ai bon espoir pour mon exposition de l'année prochaine. Pour vous citer un exemple, le maôtre Degas ayant autorisé la publication d'un album de ses œuvres à 1000 f. l'exemplaire, j'ai vu 34 souscriteurs affluer dans la même après-midi. Londres est livré aux charpentiers qui installent des gradins jusque sur les cheminées pour voir passer la gracieuse vieille dame. Quant à moi je rentre à Paris pour terminer mon déménagement. Heureuse perspective. Merci des 500 f. et des vêtements, bien arrivés. Je vous embrasse en anglais, yours [...]". - The exhibition at the Goupil gallery in May 1898 would be Toulouse-Lautrec's largest individual exhibition with 78 works on display, but was far from the success for which he had hoped. - Maurice Joyant (1864-1930) and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec were schoolmates at the famous Lycée Concordet and reconnected in 1888. In 1890, Joyant succeeded Théo van Gogh as director of the Parisian Goupil gallery. On behalf of Toulouse-Lautrec's parents, Maurice Joyant was chosen as executor of Henri's will in 1901. - Traces of former mounting affecting parts of the text; three tears to the folds and margins. Some browning and somewhat stained.
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Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri de, French painter and illustrator (1864-1901).
Document signed ("H. Toulouse-Lautrec"). Paris, 14. XI. 1895.
Oblong 8vo. 1 p. Receipt for the sum of 200 francs paid by Lèon Deschamps' magazine La Plume for the reproduction of Toulouse-Lautrec's famous lithograph "Irish and American Bar, rue Royale - The Chap Book" from 1895: "Reçu de la société anonyme 'La Plume' la somme de deux cents francs pour droits de reproduction d'une affiche demi-colombier The Chap Book". - With a collector's note in pencil. Some foxing and browning. Minor tears to the margins.
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Alembert, Jean le Rond d', French mathematician, musician, and philosopher (1717-1783).
Autograph letter signed ("d'alembert"). Paris., 30. IX. 1781.
4to. 2½ pp. on bifolium with integral address panel. In French. To the playwright Charles-Louis de Portelance, in his castle of Thoury near the Château-Landon, where Portelance appears to be embroiled in political difficulties. Best known for his mathematical discoveries and as co-editor with Diderot of the "Encyclopédie", d'Alembert here shows his political side. He is, however, forced to deliver bad news: he was finally able to see the Spanish ambassador, but the ambassador had no place to offer "notre jeune homme", who would "ne trouverois rien à faire en Espagne". Additionally, the ambassador does not like to "mêler en vien de ce qui regarde les places militaires". Well-wishes are offered for Portelance's campaign ("Je vous souhaite à votre campagne plus de santé et de repos que vous n'en avez eu cette Eté") and the health of his eyesight. - Light creasing and foxing. With two chips missing from the second page due to breaking the wax seal (no loss to text).
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Castro, Fidel, Cuban communist revolutionary and politician (1926-2016).
Albumen photograph, signed. [Santiago de Cuba, 1935].
202 x 253 mm. Fidel Castro's class photo in 1935. Castro is about nine years old, and stands at the centre of the group, marked by a faint pencilled X on the photograph. - El Colegio la Salle, a Catholic boys' boarding school, was located in Santiago de Cuba, the second largest city in Cuba and the site of Castro's later military successes in the Cuban Revolution. In the lower margin, eleven of the 67 boys depicted signed in yellow gel ink, including the autograph signature of Fidel, likely as part of a class reunion decades later. - Some light wear, otherwise good condition.
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"Che" Guevara [i.e. Ernesto Guevara de la Serna], Marxist revolutionary, major figure of the Cuban Revolution (1928-1967).
Autograph inscription signed ("Che"). No place, [circa 1960].
101 x 189 mm. Floral silk print in simple paper matte. A loving gift from Che to his wife "Aleiducha" (i.e. Aleida March, b. 1936) on the occasion of the birth of their first child, a girl named Aleida, after her mother. March was a member of Fidel Castro's Cuban army, and an active combatant during the revolution. Che writes on the margins: "Para mi Aleiducha, por este día tan especial de engendra maternal eterno" and signs off "with all the love of your dear warrior" ("Con todo el amor de tu querido aguerrido"). Signed simply "Che". - Light staining and edgewear.
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"Che" Guevara [i.e. Ernesto Guevara de la Serna], Marxist revolutionary, major figure of the Cuban Revolution (1928-1967).
Autograph letter signed. Sierra Maestra, 12. IV. 1957.
4to. 1 leaf. Previously unpublished letter from Che's hideout in the Sierra Maestra mountains. Just six months before, Che landed in Cuba alongside Fidel Castro. He was one of the few who survived the initial battle which killed most of his companions before they were able to flee and begin to build a network of guerrilla revolutionaries. - Addressed to "Eliodoro", Che's letter is preoccupied with the basic necessities of warfare and survival, including the common military difficulty of clothing an army. Che is working on setting up textile manufacturing in the remote countryside: "Estamos trabajando con Manuela para la ubicación y confección de la textilera. Estuvimos discutiendo igualmente la calidad de los insumos para ello, es decir, tela, hilo, cuero, etc." He stresses the vital importance of this endeavour: "Se hace sumamente necesario la agilización de esta situación ya que la gente se enemente casi desnuda". He asks that Eliodoro and Manuela work together, with their local knowledge and connections, to make this happen: "agilizan el proceso, estoy seguro jue dará sus frutos". Signed, as always, simply "Che". - The fellow revolutionaries named are likely local farmers or workers in the Sierra Maestra, with whom Che worked extensively during his time in there. Interestingly, a 1967 short film titled "Manuela" tells the story of a young woman in the Sierra Maestra who joins forces with the revolution, echoing the Manuela mentioned in this letter. - Lightly creased, minor chipping along edges. A rare glimpse of Che's life in the earliest months of the war.
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"Che" Guevara [i.e. Ernesto Guevara de la Serna], Marxist revolutionary, major figure of the Cuban Revolution (1928-1967).
Autograph letter signed. Havana, 28. I. 1959.
4to. 1 page. Previously unpublished letter written in triumph three weeks after Che took Havana. His recipient is the Cuban magazine La Revista Bohemia, whom he congratulates and thanks for their work furthering his and Fidel Castro's cause: "las dedico este Fraternal y caluroso mensaje a ese maravilloso colectivo que son ustedes, incansables constructores de las ideas revolucionarias, paradi pura del socialismo y el comunismo, y baluartes y estandartes de la contribución a la edificación de la sociedad proletaria, les ex orto a que siguán trabajando con esmero y dedicación para que si guamos consolidando el triunfo." Over the course of the Cuban Revolution, Che came to understand the importance of media coverage in achieving his goals; La Revista Bohemia was one such media outlet. He signs off with what would become one of his standard closing phrases: "Patria o Muerte. Con fervor revolucionario. Che". - Gently creased, minor chipping.
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"Che" Guevara [i.e. Ernesto Guevara de la Serna], Marxist revolutionary, major figure of the Cuban Revolution (1928-1967).
Delegate ribbon with an autograph note signed on verso. [Havana], 1961.
Colour-printed cloth, ca. 125 x 52 mm, inscribed in black ballpoint. Post-revolution delegate ribbon, with a note from Che. On the reverse, he writes that "Este congreso es la unión y el éxito del trabajo de todos" who support the revolution. The congress Che mentions is the Congreso nacional constituyente sindicato nacional de trabajadores de la alimentación. After Castro seized power, Che was given numerous governing duties, including overseeing many economic and agrarian reforms. He attended many such conferences, both in Cuba and abroad. - Somewhat faded, with a few hints of fraying.
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Deschanel, Paul, French politician and president of France (1855-1922).
Autograph letter signed. N. p. o. d., "Vendredi".
8vo. 1½ pp. on bifolium. To an unidentified female recipient, expressing his relief that she has been "delivered from this nightmare": "Je suis bien content que vous soyez délivrées de ce chauchemar [...]". - Traces of folds.
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Gambetta, Léon, French statesman (1838-1882).
Autograph letter signed. Paris, 24. VII. 1880.
12mo. 1 p. on bifolium. To Marcellin Pellet, representative for the Gard department, asking him to prepare elections in Nîmes, although they "will be difficult to observe", and announcing a thorough investigation and firm but fair punishments in an affair that is not further specified but can be historically contextualized: "Vous pouvez en effet préparer le scrutin de liste, il sera difficile à observer, mais on y arrivera parce qu'il est nécessaire, c'est à mes yeux une solution de salut public. On va faire une enquête sérieuse sur les affaires de Nîmes et autres lieux, et, les faits connus, les responsabilités établies, le général saura frapper ferme et juste [...]". - On 6 July 1880, the law that set the national day of France to 14 July, commemorating both the Storming of the Bastille in 1789 and the Fête de la Fédération in 1790, was made official. The royalist mayor of Nîmes, Adolphe Blanchard, and his council refused to prepare celebrations for 14 July, leading to their suspension and ultimate removal from office in what is called here "affaire de Nîmes". Léon Gambetta was among the original supporters of the new national day that was a controversial but important project for the young Third Republic. - On stationery with lithographed letterhead "Chambre des Députés". The identification of the recipient is based on a pencil note that is consistent with the historical context. Some browning and minor foxing. Traces of folds.
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Green, Thomas, greengrocer and fruiterer (1762-1850), father of pioneering hot air balloonist, Charles Green.
Autograph letter signed ("T. Green"). Highgate, London, (1844).
4to. 1 p. with integral address panel on verso, bearing a Penny Red stamp. A letter from the father of Charles Green (1785-1870), the United Kingdom's most famous balloonist of the 19th century, on his own experiences with flying, addressed to the novelist, travel-writer and journalist Catherine Hutton (1756-1846). As Mr. Green the elder relates, "I am now in my 83rd year and have made severall asents [!] with my son who has so long & successfully practised the science of aerestation [!]. My first asent was from Mansfield, Nottingham in 1827, I was then in my 64th year & my second asent was from Glasgo [!] Scotland in 1836 & I have asended 3 times with the Great Nassau Balloon in company with 9 persons each time". - After working at his father's grocery in London, Charles Green would go on to become a professional balloonist following his first ascent in 1821. In 1836 he set a major long-distance record in the balloon Royal Vauxhall, when he flew overnight from London to the Duchy of Nassau in Germany. The context of Thomas Green's address to Catherine Hutton is unknown, but the letter's tone and content suggest he was responding to an enquiry or earlier writing by Mrs. Hutton on the history and perhaps the safety of hot air ballooning. - The letter is well preserved with minimal yellowing to the edges. A folded piece of card affixed to the left-hand edge of the page is the remnant of the letter's earlier inclusion in an album. The address-side of the folio preserves an example of a first-generation imperforate Penny Red stamp with clear borders. The wax seal of the Green family, featuring a hot air balloon and their Latin motto for ballooning "Coelum certe patet ibimus illac" (The sky is very clear, we will go there!) is well preserved.
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Louis II de Bourbon, prince de Condé, French prince, general, and pretender to the throne (1621-1686).
Autograph letter signed. No place, but probably Château de Chantilly, Oise, 5. III. 1683.
4to. 1 p. on bifolium with integral address panel. Two black wax seals. To a Monsieur Forget, probably the nobleman Jean Forget, esteemed for his expertise in falconry, discussing the Prince's most recent acquisition: a Labrador Falcon (Gerfaut d'Islande) just brought in by a local peasant, which he intends to leave in the hands of a courtier named Bernard. The animal does not appear to be hurt, and in particular the wings were not damaged in the capture, but it does seem a bit ruffled, and the Prince would like the animal looked over by Forget. Would he like to send a man to collect the bird, or should the Prince have it delivered by one of his falconers?. - "Un paisan de deus lieus d'icy ma aporté ce matin un gerfau d'islande qui a vos rerueles dens un panié. Je l'a mis entre les mains de bernar qui ma promis d'en avoir grandsoin. Il ne paroit pas qu'il aie de mal; il n'a point de francs rompues aux ailes; il ce a quelques unes un peu froisées, mais bernar dit que ce n'est rien pour rien qu'en le prenan on ne luy ait point fait de mal dans le corps. J'attendray d'avoir de vos nouvelles avant que de le recevoir. Mandes moy si vous voulez envoier icy quelqu'un pour vous le portir ou si vous voulez qu'on vous le renvoie; en ce cas il envoirai un de mes fauconiers vous le portir [...]". - The Prince of Condé fought for France in the Thirty Years' War, but at its conclusion turned against the monarchy with fellow nobles outraged in what became known as the Fronde rebellion. The coat of arms Condé uses in his wax seals is not that of the Condé branch family, but the house of Bourbon itself. The letter was, however, sent well after his rebellion (and subsequent rehabilitation) during his countryside retirement, which he spent in the company of literary greats such as Bossuet, Pierre Nicole, and Bourdaloue. - A special appreciation of falconry ran in the family of the de Forgets: a descendant, Claude-Édouard, marquis de Forget, would serve under Louis XVI as commandant général de la fauconnerie du Roi. - Traces of old folds; some wrinkling, leaves numbered "no 8" and "no 9" in an old hand. Generally very well preserved with both seals in excellent condition.
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Louis Eugene, Duke of Württemberg (1731-1795).
Autograph letter signed. Strasbourg, 10 July 1772.
4to. 2 pp. A letter of thanks from the Duke of Württemberg for assistance received by way of his good friend Nicolas Maillot de la Treille, court chaplain and advisor to Elector Karl Theodor. The Duke fears, however, that Maillot has enthused too much about him. A planned meeting with the addressee would be postponed due to adverse circumstances, including the illness of one of his daughters and himself. Louis Eugene hopes to be able to leave the next day and, after four or five days on the road, reach Paris: "Je ne pois assez vous témoigner combien je suis pénétré des soins officieux dont vous daignez me prévenir d'une manière si obligeante. Je ne puis les attribuer qu'à l'amitié de M. L'Abbé Maillot, l'ami le plus chaud que je connoitre. Mais aussi j'ai tout bien de craindre qu'il ne vous ait communiqué les préjugés beaucoup trop avantageux qu'il a contracté en ma faveur [...] Une de mes filles est tombée malades quelques jours avant [...]". - Paper slightly browned, in good condition.
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Mao Zedong, Chinese statesman (1893-1976).
Autograph dedication signed. [Beijing], 1960.
Oblong 8vo (17 x 11 cm). An exceedingly rare vintage blue ink signature, in Chinese characters, inscribed to the verso of a printed invitation to a Buffet Party hosted by the China-Latin America Friendship Association at the Xinqiao Fandian (Hotel) on Thursday, 27 October 1960 at 6.30 pm, "in order to kindly see off the cultural friendship delegations of Latin American countries". Chinese text printed in red on off-white paper. Encapsulated. A fine signature obtained during a 1960 Buffet Party in honour of Latin American communists, held at Beijing's Xinqiao Hotel and attended by Mao Zedong. The China-Latin America Friendship Association, who hosted the venue, was established in Beijing earlier that same year, in March 1960, and soon became the general fortress of cultural infiltration into Latin America. The U.S. diplomat Roy R. Rubottom Jr., who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (1957-60), noted that, also in 1960, Mao Zedong appeared to have "gone out of his way" to receive Latin American Communist leaders and to exhort them to give their full backing to the kind of revolution he favoured. The following year, the Xinqiao Hotel would be the site of a major conference hosted by Zhou Enlai, who there encouraged intellectuals and cultural activists to start work again. - Following the end of World War II, the Communist movement was flourishing in Latin America, and as early as 1947 Mao Zedong was prompted to remark that "the Latin American peoples are not the obedient slaves of United States Imperialism". Chairman Mao and the Chinese communists' goal was the defeat of United States Imperialism, and Latin America was regarded as vital to attaining this goal, as it supported Mao Zedong’s theory of the establishment of rural revolutionary base areas. Chinese interest and activities in Latin America increased sharply in the early 1950s (there were believed to be 250,000 card-carrying communists active in the area), and the countries were of considerable interest to the Chinese and viewed as a fertile ground for advancing Communism, not least Red China's own brand of the ideology. - Some very light overall soiling to both sides, barely affecting the signature. An attractive example of one of the rarest and most sought-after autographs of all major political leaders and cultural icons of the 20th century. PSA/DNA certified, authentic autograph 84503553, and encapsulated. LOA certification number AF07300.
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Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (1662-1726).
Autograph letter signed. Munich, 26 May 1684.
4to. 1 p. on bifolium with integral address panel. Two red wax seals. Writing as a 21-year-old to Monsieur de Forget in Paris, probably the nobleman Jean Forget, valued for his expertise in falconry, thanking him for having provided valuable instruction to Max Emanuel's own falconer: "Monsieur m'avez obligé par les soins que vous aves pris de faire instruire mon fauconnier, ie chercheray avec plaisir les occasions de vous marquer mon ressentiment, et la considération que i'ay pour votre personne; vous endêvés estre persuadé et que ie suis, Monsieur de Forget, votre bon Ami [...]". - A special appreciation of falconry ran in the family of the de Forgets: a descendant, Claude-Édouard, marquis de Forget, would serve under Louis XVI as commandant général de la fauconnerie du Roi. - Traces of old folds; paper pierced in one place without loss to text, leaves numbered "no 6" and "no 7" in an old hand. Generally very well preserved with both seals in excellent condition.
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Talleyrand-Périgord, Charles-Maurice de, French statesman (1754-1838).
Autograph letter signed. Paris, 12 June 1800.
4to. 1 p. Written in his role as Foreign Minister under Napoleon to the politician Antoine François Péré (1746-1835) regarding his wish to be included in the Department of Foreign Affairs. Talleyrand has received Péré's request, but the subject will not be raised until the coming Vendémiaire (October/November). Talleyrand will see to it that all the necessary documents and testimonials are submitted to him by then: "J'ai reçu, Citoyen, la pétition par la quelle vous m'exprimez le désir d'être compris dans l'organisation du Département des Relations Extérieurs. Le travail à faire sur cet objet est remis au mois de Vendémiaire prochain. A cette époque j'aurai soin de me faire représenter votre demande et les titres ou les témoignages sur les quels vous l'aurez appuyée [...]" (I have received, fellow Citizen, the petition by which you express to me the desire to be included in the organisation of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The work to be done on this object is postponed until the month of the coming Vendémiaire. At that time, I will be sure to have your request put to me and the titles or testimonies on which you base it"). - On the printed letterhead of the "République Française". Somewhat foxed.
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[Thames Tunnel].
Document, unsigned. [Probably London, ca. 1829].
4to. ½ p. An anonymous note in support of a proposal by Charles Vignoles to take over from Marc Isambard Brunel as Chief Engineer for the Thames Tunnel Company. The piece offers a tantalising insight into the in-house politicking that followed the decision to halt operations on the Tunnel after flooding in August 1828. The eight-line note consists principally of dry and somewhat ironic criticism of Brunel, his work and nationality, before a short commendation of Vignoles: "Mr. Brunel is the Engineer who has attempted he Thames Tunnel, and failed in the execution, and for this he has been appointed a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in France. He is a Frenchman, and, by the explanation of his plans, he convinced the Royal Academy of Science that the thing might have succeeded. My friend Charles Vignoles is confident that he can complete the tunnel at less expence [!] and in a better manner". - The Thames Tunnel is recognised as having been the first successful passage under a navigable riverbed. The project, completed under Marc Brunel and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1843, served as the debut for a series of engineering innovations, including Brunel's patented tunnelling shield. Despite its revolutionary methods and significance for various fields, construction of the tunnel was subject to numerous delays and challenges: poor working conditions, gas leaks and flooding meant that work was brought to a halt after six men died on 12th January 1828. Whilst engineers sought to fix the tunnel's physical problems, the board of the Thames Tunnel Company canvassed for solutions to their financial, administrative and perceived managerial issues. In particular, the open animosity between the Company's Chairman, William Smith, and the Brunels led to the Company's directors to call a General Assembly in April 1829 to assess the situation. It was here that Vignoles' proposals for a cheaper, more efficient method to complete the tunnel were considered by an independent arbitrator. Vignoles' idea was, however, not taken up and by December 1834, Marc Brunel had secured financial support from the government's Treasury to supplement that of the original private investors. After nearly a decade of further work, the tunnel opened to the public on 25th March 1843. - The page preserves a fold down the middle presumably for insertion into an envelope (now lost). Edges have minor tears on all sides and one larger tear to the middle, not affecting the text. A second hand adds the numbers 65 and 66 to the top right-hand corner recto and verso.
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Townshend, Charles, 1st Baron Bayning, British politician (1728-1810).
Autograph document signed ("Chas. Townshend"). Madrid, 17. IX. 1753.
4to. 1 p. A claim for reimbursement of no less than 100 pounds sterling (today more than £15,000) for "Intelligence" and other services provided, addressed to Whitehall in 1753 by the Secretary to the British Embassy in Madrid, Charles Townshend. - Townshend was in service in Spain from 1751 to 1756 and became known as 'Spanish Charles' to distinguish him from the politician Charles Townshend, his cousin. The reimbursement was granted and signed by Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, Secretary of State for the Southern Department under George II, on 3 October 1753 at Whitehall: "I allow this Bill". - On his return to England in 1756, Townshend was elected as a Whig Member of Parliament. He would go on to serve in a number of senior political posts including Lord of the Admiralty, Lord of the Treasury, and joint Vice-Treasurer for Ireland. In 1777, Townshend was admitted to the Privy Council. He was raised to the peerage in 1796 as Baron Bayning, of Foxley in the County of Berkshire. - The bill preserves the remnants of a red seal in its upper-left corner. It has one small tear and minimal roughing to the edges. On the verso three pieces of tape are the remains of the bill's earlier inclusion in a collection. Alongside Townshend's claim and signature, and Holderness' confirmation and signature, there is one additional pencil note.
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Villemain, Abel-François, intellectual and politician (1790-1870).
Autograph letter signed. No place or date.
4to. ¼ p. (5 lines) on bifolium with integral address panel. Addressed to the founder of modern melodrama Guilbert de Pixérécourt (1773-1844), expressing his regret over being unable to take up his invitation: "Je me présente a Monsieur de Pixérécourt mes complimens et regrets. il me sera impossible d'avoir le plaisir de profiter de sa invitation [...]". - Light foxing.
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Villemain, Abel-François, intellectual and politician (1790-1870).
Autograph letter signed. No place or date.
8vo. 1½ pp. on bifolium. An answer to an enquiry concerning M. Martelet's school in the Rue des Quatre Fils No. 8, stating that is is well prepared to meet the expectations of a polytechnic school. Villemain hopes that Miss Pomarel will be well served by this type of estalishment: "J'ai pris avec souci le renseignement que vous m'avez fait l'honneur de me demander, et sur lequel Je n'avois pas des souvenirs assez précis. L'École deparat: de M. Martelet rue des quatre fils No 8 parait mériter toute confiance. Sans avoir de supériorité sur une autre École qui à la même destination, elle est bien dirigée, et atteint le but qu'on se propose en suivant l'École Polytechnique. Je souhaite que celle indication suffise à Mademoiselle Pomarel [...]". - With small corner tears in the counterfoil due to letter opening. The counterfoil is somewhat ink-stained on verso, with collector's note in pencil. Lightly finger-stained.
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[Béranger, Pierre-Jean de, French poet (1780-1857).] - Loir, Maurice, French naval historian (1852-1924).
Autograph letter signed. Tche-fou (Yantai), China, 26. VI. 1884.
8vo. 2½ pp. on bifolium. Accompanied by the autograph copy of a letter by Pierre-Jean de Béranger, 4 pp. on bifolium (thus, two bifolia with 6½ pp., all in Loir's hand). Includes an autograph envelope in Béranger's hand, addressed to the poet Louise Colet in Paris, postmarked Passy-Les-Paris, 29 September 1843. To an unidentified scholar engaged in a study of the late French poet and songwriter Pierre-Jean de Béranger, sending him the copy (handwritten in Loir's own hand) of a heartfelt letter by Béranger to a young French writer, Thalès Bernard: "Monsieur, Puisqu'en ce moment, à le que m'apprennent es journaux, vous vous occupez de Béranger, voulez-vous me premettre de vous communiquens une lettre de lui." The letter he chooses to include is, he claims, "sans date, mais vraisemblablement en 1843", when Béranger was at the height of his fame. Béranger's addressee Bernard (1821-73) was a young and relatively unknown poet, who would go on to share with Elisa Fleury the Prix Lambert for literature in service of the public interest. - Béranger had faced much difficulty of his own as a young poet and often sought to give aid and patronage where he could. He scolds Bernard for a previous letter: "Ç'est que votre lettre m'a donné à réfléchir; que même elle m'a un peu fâché contre vous; fâché, direz-vous? Oui, vraiment!" Concerned that the youth are placing famous writers on a pedestal at the expense of both themselves and their idols, Béranger exclaims, "Savez-vous ce qu'il résulte de la bonheur où vous placez ceux qu'il vous plait d’encenser? Vous désespérez bien vite d'atteindre jusqu'à eux et l'abattement vous saisit. Le pauvre Escousse est un triste exemple de le que je vous dis là. Dans la lettre qu'il laisse pour moi il me traitait aussi de modèle parfait et désespérant; fatale illusion! Ah! Repoussez la loin de vous. Il y a bien mieux que moi dans notre malheureuse temps". - The "poor Escousse" to whom he alludes is Victor Escousse, the pen-name of Victor Laserre (1813-32), who died by suicide. Béranger urges Bernard along a different path: "Ce que vous devez vous dire, vous tous jeunes hommes, c'est que les véritables préparateurs de l'avenir ne sont pas encore venus ; tout au plus le nez de quelque petit précurseur s'est montré à travers la toile comme au théâtre, il arrive, quand un acteur vient regarder par le trou du rideau si la salle est bien garnie. Qui sait ? Le bon Dieu va peut être bientôt frapper les trois coups. Bientôt peut être un nouvel acte du Grand Drame va commencer. Vous autres, qui devez le jouer, êtes-vous prête? Savez-vous vos rôles? Quoi, vous vous amusez à encenser les vieux dont le rôle est fini, comme si vous avez du temps a perdre. Quand le temps du repos sera venu, retournez-vous, soit! et dites quelques prières sur la tombe de ceux qui ont encourage votre jeunesse [...] Mes enfants, avez foi en vous, si non vous ne ferez rien, vous cette foi que donne l'orgueil, mais celle que donne l'amour de les semblables à qui vous devez consacres toute votre vie."
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[Goethekreis]. - Müller, Friedrich von, weimarischer Staatskanzler (1779-1849), Freund Goethes.
Eigenh. Brief mit U. Weimar, 9. V. 1841.
1 S. auf Doppelblatt. 8vo. Mit eh. adr. Kuvert. An den Maler Johann Heinrich Schramm (1810-65), der sich wohl mit der Anfrage nach einem Portrait an ihn gewandt hatte: "Hier, lieber Herr u. Freund, die Antwort der Prinzeßin von Preußen, leider sehr verspätet. So sehr ich bedaure, daß Ihr Wunsch nicht erfüllt worden, so muß ich doch anerkennen, daß die Prinzeßin einen Grund angiebt, der nicht verworfen werden mag [...]". - J. H. Schramm hatte an der Wiener Akademie der bildenden Künste Blumenzeichnen und architektonisches Zeichnen studiert, ging dann zum Portrait über und wirkte ab den späten 1830er Jahren in Deutschland, wo er 1842 Professor an der Kunstschule in Weimar und später auch großherzoglicher Hofmaler wurde. - Kleinere Randläsuren, sonst gut erhalten.
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Hemingway, Ernest, American writer and Nobel Laureate (1899-1961).
Inscription signed. [Havana], 27. III. 1952.
Original Cabaret Nacional envelope with reproduction photo print mounted. 188 x 253 mm. Inscribed by Hemingway in red ballpoint, "To my friend Andy drinking and enjoy [!] of a wonderful night with my best wishes / Ernest Hemingway". The envelope on which the inscription is written advertises the Cabaret Nacional, a club in Havana which is the presumed location of the aforementioned drinking and wonderful night. A later photographic print of Hemingway, bottle of rum in hand, has been pasted into the envelope, likely replacing an earlier photo which was damaged or lost. - The Cabaret Nacional can still be found in the basement of the Gran Teatro, and was a haunt for Hemingway, who in the 1950s was spending most of his time in or near Havana, where he enjoyed the nightlife. A different hand has dated the envelope "Habana Marzo 27 de 1952", placing this in the period just after the publication of the critically panned "Across the River" and "Into the Trees" and shortly before Hemingway would write "The Old Man and the Sea", which would win him the 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature. - Envelope severely worn and chipped, signature bright and clear.
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Mann, Thomas, Schriftsteller und Nobelpreisträger (1875-1955).
2 eigenh. Briefe mit U. München und Pacific Palisades, 1902 und 1947.
Zusammen (4+¾ =) 4¾ SS. auf 3 Bll. (Kl.-)8vo. Beide Briefe an den Schriftsteller Walter Opitz, der ihm seine Gedichte zugesandt hatte: "Lieber Herr Opitz! Nach und nach habe ich nun alle litterarischen Herrlichkeiten, mit denen Sie mich bedachten (nicht wahr, auf die beiden Zukünfte, die ich noch vorgestern in meinem Briefkasten fand, verdanke ich Ihnen?) verständnisinnig ausgekostet: vor allem Ihre Verse, aus denen ein so vornehmes und sympathisches Talent zu mir sprach. Lassen Sie mich Ihnen für den reinen Genuß, den mir die Lektüre gewährte, von Herzen Dank sagen. Ich untersage es mir, diesem Dank einen übertriebenen und falschen Nachdruck zu geben, indem ich die großen Wörter des Lobes und der Begeisterung hervorsuchte, mit denen man sich bei solchen Gelegenheiten erkenntlich zu zeigen pflegt. Sie selbst würden mich auslachen, wenn ich behauptete, daß diese Gedichte irgend etwas verblüffend Neuartiges und Kühnes nach Form oder Inhalt an sich hätten. Ich verhehle sogar weder mir noch Ihnen, daß vielen davon (und nicht zuletzt diejenigen, die von der Romanzeitung veröffentlicht worden sind) etwas wesenlos Epigonenhaftes eigen ist, - wobei übrigens immer noch die Glätte und Anmuth der Form zu bewundern übrig bleibt. Dieser sicheren Grazie gegenüber ist es desto verwunderlicher, daß bei den humoristischen Sachen hie und da kleine böse Geschmacksentgleisungen mitunterlaufen, eine gelegentliche Plattheit, eine allzu triviale Scherzhaftigkeit, - obgleich es eigentlich dumm ist, an so liebenswürdigen Keckheiten kritisch herum zu nörgeln [...]" (16. XII. 1902). - Der Brief aus Kalifornien vom 3. IV. 1947 bespricht eine Retoursendung seiner "Lotte in Weimar", die ihm zurückgesandt worden war "mit dem Bedeuten, dass in die russische Besetzungszone keine Bücher geschickt werden dürfen. Da kannst nix machen, wie wir Altbayern sagen zu sagen pflegten […]". - Walter Opitz (1879-1963) gehörte um die Jahrhundertwende zum selben Kreis wie Thomas Mann, Armin Martens und die Brüder Carl und Paul Ehrenberg. - Beide Briefe im linken Rand gelocht (geringe Buchstabenberührung); der Brief von 1947 etwas angeschmutzt und mit kleinen Randeinrissen.
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Mann, Thomas, Schriftsteller und Nobelpreisträger (1875-1955).
Ms. Brief mit eigenh. U. München, 14. XI. 1926.
¾ S. 4to. An den Wiener Verlag Anton Schroll: "Haben Sie verbindlichen Dank für die Uebersendung Ihrer Albertina-Faksimile-Drucke nach Handzeichnungen von Dürer. Diese Blätter scheinen mir auf der vollen Höhe moderner Reproduktionstechnik zu stehen und die bewunderungswürdigen Produkte eines genialischen Fleisses vollkommen wiederzugeben. Sie setzen sich mit diesen Darbietungen für das Gute und Kulturelle gegen das Minderwertige ein, und so darf man Sie beglückwünschen und hoffen, dass diese schönen Blätter auf vielen Weihnachtstischen liegen werden [...]". - Bei dem erwähnten Druck handelt es sich um "Dürers grüne Passion" aus dem Jahre 1924. - Spuren fachmännischer Restaurierung und von alter Montage; minimaler Verlust im maschinschriftlichen Datum, sonst wohlerhalten.
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