PÉTAIN, Philippe (1856-1951)

PÉTAIN, Philippe (1856-1951)

Vintage print, inscribed « Ph. Pétain »
S.l., 2nd April 1941, 16,3 x 11,8 cm
Framing : 23,4 x 17,7 cm
Very slight browning to the margins, with tiny spots. Browning and minor losses on the verso along the right margin, not affecting the recto

A fine period print of the Marshal, with an autograph inscription

Gazing toward the horizon with a faint smile, the Marshal is depicted here in a bust portrait, dressed in official uniform.
Fine contrasts.

« au Docteur d’Eschevannes
meilleurs souvenirs
2 avril 1941
Ph. Pétain »

We include a typed letter signed “Ménétrel” addressed to Doctor Carlos d’Eschevannes
S.l., April 2, 1941, 1 p. in-8°
On the letterhead of Marshal Pétain / Private Secretariat
Envelope included

« Monsieur et cher Confrère,
Le Maréchal me charge de vous transmettre la photographie que vous lui avez demandée et qu’il a signée pour vous en souvenir de M. votre Père.
Il me demande de vous dire que, très pris et spécialement en ce moment, il ne pourrait que très difficilement recevoir M. Menault mais que si ce dernier venait à Vichy,  il serait certainement reçu par un des proches collaborateurs du Maréchal.
Veuillez agréer, Monsieur et cher Confrère, l’assurance de mes sentiments les plus distingués.
Ménétrel »

Known as one of Marshal Pétain’s closest advisors, the young physician Bernard Ménétrel (1906–1947) became his personal secretary after the government left Bordeaux, while also overseeing the Marshal’s health. Closely involved in Pétain’s private life—a widely circulated photograph shows the Marshal lifting a little girl with his cane, identified as Sophie, Ménétrel’s daughter—he accompanied him on his daily walks and remained by his side throughout the four years of the Vichy regime. Since his office served as an antechamber to Pétain’s, contemporaries—including the Germans—believed he wielded significant influence over the head of state.