We offer a selection of letters and manuscripts from men and women who, through their writings, acts or discoveries, have influenced the course of history.
Autograph letter signed « ADreyfus » [to général Percin]
[Paris], 21st July 1906, 1 p. in-8°
« If I have known many villains, many cowardices, I have at least had the consolation of meeting some brave men »
First edition of the 87th issue of journal L’Aurore
[Paris, 13th January 1898], 4 p. in-plano
« The truth is on the march and nothing will stop it »
Autograph letter signed « Jules Soury » to Eugène Fasquelle
S.l, 4th October 1904, 1 p. in-8°
« Twelve firing squad bullets for Jewish traitor Alfred Dreyfus »
Autograph letter signed « Z » to Alice Mirbeau
N.p [Addlestone], Tuesday 30th August [18]98, 4 p. in-8° on laid paper
« It only gives me one passion, that of sacrifice, the will to immolate myself »
Autograph card-letter signed « Z » [to Eugène Fasquelle]
[Queen’s Hotel, Upper Norwood], 1st February [18]99, 2 pp. petit in-12°
« The horrible waste we are going through… »
Unpublished autograph manuscript, signed « Emile Zola »
[Grosvenor Hotel, London, 19 July 1898], 5 pages in-4 on ligned paper
« Of all my open letter to the president, a few lines had been skilfully extracted… to prevent the truth to shine on the Dreyfus affair »
Autograph letter signed « Henri Bergson » to Jean Becquerel
Paris, 24 Sept[ember] 1922, 16 pages in-8°
« From the point of view of the theory of Relativity, there is no longer absolute motion or absolute immobility »
Portrait of Empress Eugenie by W&D Downey, period albumen print
[London, c. 1871], CDV format
Elegant portrait of the Empress, with a melancholic gaze
Autograph letter signed « Beauh. de Lavalette » to Eugène de Beauharnais
N.p, [11th] May [1807], 5 p. in-12°
« We have been so dejected and discouraged by the loss of my poor cousin »
Portrait of Napoléon III by Disdéri
N.p.n.d, c. 1868, cdv format
Famous and elegant full-length portrait of Emperor Napoleon III
Photomontage on period albumen vintage print
N.p.n.d, cabinet format (10 x 13,5 cm)
Famous photomontage depicting the death of Napoleon III, surrounded by his family and loved ones
Autograph letter signed « Georges Ghika » to Liane de Pougy, princesse Ghika
Le Clos-Marie, Roscoff, 2nd July 1924, 2 p. in-4°
« It seems that your pearly body, slightly amber from distant sailings... »
Spectacular portrait of the Prince impérial, period albumen print
[London], 28th July 1877, cabinet format (10,2 x 14,4 cm)
An uncommon portrait of the Prince Imperial, signed on each side of the cardboard
Letter signed « Duc de Bassano » to the Comte de la Chapelle, Alfred de Morton
[Camden Place, Chislehurst] July 1879, 1 p. in-8° on mourning paper
« I have been instructed by Her Majesty the Empress to convey to you her many thanks for the sentiments you have expressed to her in her immense misfortune »
Autograph letter signed « Adrien Bizot » to the Prince Impérial
Melun, 20 septembre 1878, 4 p. in-8°
« Sad country, Sad weather! But patience, the sun of Austerlitz is not dead! »
Nineteen period albumen prints
The Imperial Family and its entourage, CDV format
Exceptional gathering of nineteen vintage albumen prints offering a wide panorama of the imperial family, its relatives and supporters
Autograph dispatch signed « Napoléon » to Charles Duperré
[Wilhlmeshoehe castle, 6-8 September 1870], 1/2 p. in-8°
« Where is the Empress »
Autograph letter signed « Affre » to comte de Rambuteau
[Paris], 13 March [183]8, 2 p. in-8°
« I forgot to ask you to officially inform the ladies of the Abbaye-aux-Bois of the municipal council’s decisions »
Autograph letter signed « Henri » to his legitimist inner circle
Frohsdorf [Austria], 30 Jan. 1852, 5 pp. in-4°
« I hold on to the gentle yet steadfast hope that a day will come… when I shall at last see our beloved homeland again »
Autograph letter signed « Henri » to count de Sémallé
Teplitz, 15 June 1836, 1 p. 1/2 in-8°
« Je ne saurais non plus oublier que ce fut dans les plaines de la Normandie qu’Henri quatre trouva plus d’une fois le chemin de la victoire »
Autograph quote signed « Maryse Bastié »
N.p.n.d., 1 p. in-8° oblong
« The hours when we feel the price of life most are those we live dangerously »
Signed autograph drafts of texts (fragments)
N.p.n.d., 4 p. in-8°
Rare manuscript drafts, enriched with numerous original drawings
Autograph letter signed « Beaumarchais » to comedian Préville
Paris, 31st March 1784, 2 pp. on bi-folio in-8°, watermarked laid paper
« My play isn’t a big thing ; but seeing it in the theater is the result of four years of fighting »
Autograph aphorism signed « H. Bergson »
Paris, 15 Feb. 1929, 1/2 p. in-12°
« Happiness is found only on the condition that it should not be sought after »
Autograph letter signed « H. Bergson » to Raphaël Cor
Paris, 22nd March 1935, 2 p. in-8°
« I find interesting the relationship you establish between immoralism and the sexual question… »
Autograph letter signed « Marie Amélie » to Narcisse-Achille de Salvandy
Claremont [United-Kingdom], 3 Nov. 1854, 2 p. in-8°
« Her loss is the object of my deepest regrets as well as those of my children because they all shared my feelings for her »
Autograph letter signed with her initials to Narcisse-Achille de Salvandy
[Claremont, United Kingdom], 29 Jan. 1852, 1 p. in-8°
« I had no doubt of the feelings your loyal heart would have experienced in such a circumstance »
« La Tondue de Chartres »
Period film print
[Chartres, rue Collin-d’Harleville, 16 août 1944], 14,5 x 21,5 cm
Scarce period film print of “La Tondue de Chartres”, Robert Capa’s masterpiece
Autograph letter signed « Le Vte de Chateaubriand » to Abel
Paris, 29th 7bre [September] 1815, 4 pp. in-8°
« I demanded freedom of thought, which brought Buonaparte’s fury and his new threats to have me shot »
Autograph letter signed « Chateaubriand » [to Hippolyte La Morvonnais ?]
Paris, 18 July 1834, 2 p. in-8° à l’encre noire
« Soon I will be lying on my little island of sand and I will hear the sound of your footsteps and the waves »
Autograph manuscript signed « André Citroën »
N.p, 3rd April 1926, 1/2 p. in-8°
« It is through specialization and standardization that production is intensifies »
Autograph carte-de-visite signed « GC. » [to Michel Alexandre Gaston Tournier]
N.p.n.d, 2 p. in-24° (7.4 x 4.8 cm)
« With my best wishes, my dear general »
Autograph manuscript signed « JB Clément »
N.p, dated 23rd April 1869, 4 p. in-8°
« J’en couperai pour cette belle France / Dont j’ai chanté la gloire et les revers »
2 stereoscopic views of Paris during the Commune of 1871
Original photographs, albumen prints 7,7 x 7,4 cm. Mounted on printed Bristols
Autograph letter signed “V Considérant” tp Mr Berger
Paris [Probably 1848], 2 pages in-8
Rare letter of the philosopher
Autograph quote signed « F. Darlan »
N.p., 1 May 1939, 1 p. in-8° oblong
« The Empire is only viable if it has a powerful, ardent and well-trained navy. »
Two autograph letters signed « Gaston Doumergue » to notary Leverne
Paris, 11th November 1926 et 21st May 1931, 2 p. in-8°
«I request you to hand over to Mrs. Graves all remaining documents in your study concerning our agreement of July 1926 »
Autograph quote signed « F. d’Espèrey »
N.p., 21 January 1937, 1 p. in-8°
« War is cheaper than servitude »
Autograph letter signed “Victor H” [to Joséphine Trébuchet]
Brussels, 19th December [1851], 1 page in-8°
“I fought for the right, for the truth, for the righteous, for the people, for France”
Autograph manuscript signed « Jean Jaurès »
[Paris], c. 1st April 1905, 12 p. in-4°
« Several Republican groups are concerned about how to ensure the swift passage of the law on the separation of church and state »
Letter signed « Lamartine » to Louis de Jacquelot
Paris, 8 9bre [November 1840], 2 p. in-8°
« The serious circumstances in which we found ourselves made me go out… of my usual calm in politics »
Lettre autographe signée “F. de Lamennais” à M. Lasneau
Paris, 20 juin 1825, 1 page in-8
“Two copies of my Imitation”
Autograph letter signed « Claude Lévi-Strauss » to Thierry Maulnier
[Paris], 9 May 1982, 1 p. 1/4 in-4°
« It is futile to seek meaning in history »
Autograph letter to Théodore Charlet
« G… » [Gorizia, Italy], 15 oct[ober] 1843, 2 p. small in-8°
« My nephew is happily continuing his journey… his health is excellent »
Autograph letter signed « MT » to Théodore Charlet
N.p. [Vienna, Austria] 2nd January 1850, 2 p. in-8°
« I was pleased to learn that your daughter was pregnant. I wish it were the same here, but unfortunately it is not the case »
Autograph letter signed « Masaryk » to a political activist
S.l, 21st December 1893, 2 p. 1/4 in-8°
« If the party turns against me, it opposes the men of confidence, as well as the vote of confidence that was granted to me »
Autograph letter signed « Ch Maurras » [to Thierry Maulnier]
[Paris] Prison de la Santé, 19 April 1937, 8 pp. in-8°
« It is not possible for Action Française to delay any longer the choice that is necessary between its direction, its destiny, its national obligation »
Autograph letter signed « ton Charles Maurras » to René de Saint-Pons
N.p.n.d. [1894], 22 p. in-8° on laid paper, in black ink
« A Jew drags a regiment of Jews after him, and when the Jews are found somewhere, they must destroy: this is absolutely fatal »
Autograph letter signed « El viejo » to his mistress Jeanne Schneider
[Fleury-Mérogis prison], 7 Dec. [19]76, 2 pp. in-4°
« There is a big difference between the idea and the act. Many men talk… very few act as they speak »
Autograph letter signed « El viejo » to his mistress Jeanne Schneider
[Prison de Fleury-Mérogis], 10 Jan. [19]77, 2 pp. in-4°
« It’s true that this prison is demoralizing. Personally, I don’t think I’ll ever commit suicide… I have too many scores to settle »
Lettre autographe signée « Eugénie » à Charles Duperré
[Palais des] Tuileries, 30 mars [1866] , 4 pp. in-4°
« The little Prince has been very sick, he is still in bed; this poor child showed angelic patience »
Autograph letter signed « Eugénie » to Marie-Thérèse Bartholoni
[Camden Place], Chislehurst, 1st June [1872], 4 pp. petit in-8°
« My son asks me to send his regards to the young ladies »
Autograph letter signed « Eugénie » to Hortense Cornu
[Camden Place, Chislehurst] 13th January [1875], 8 pp. in-8°, mourning paper
« What a singular destiny which makes it so that the most French hearts, the Napoleons, must all to this day be laid in a foreign coffin »
Autograph letter signed « Eugénie » to an unknown recipient
[Camden Place, Chislehurst], 4 February [18]73, 1 p. 1/2 in-8°
« Sensitive to your sympathy and the regrets you express to me for the one we mourn »
Autograph postcard signed « Jean » to his family
Megève, 6th February [1940], 1 p. in-12°
« These two days spent in the fresh air did me a lot of good and I now feel in great physical shape »
Autograph letter signed « N » to Empress Eugénie
[Camden Place, Chislehurst], 2nd August [1872], 1 p. 1/2 in-8°
« Your absence leaves a great void and although we live under the same roof we see little of each other, it is always very sweet to feel close to those we love »
Letter signed « Necker »
Paris, July 12 1790, 1 p. in-folio on laid paper
« I saw with great satisfaction, in these speeches, the homage of the sentiments that the King is so worthy of obtaining, and which must animate all the French people »
Original photograph by Vezenberg – Co. in S. Petersburg
Period albumen print (1896). Business card format
Moving portrait of the Romanov family in 1896
Autograph letter signed « L. Pasteur » [to professor Charles Bouchard]
Paris, 19th July 1888, 3 pages in-8° on laid paper
« Its immunity has been tested by inoculation on the surface of the brain »
Autograph quote signed « Ph. Pétain »
S.l., 1st August 1936, 1 p. in-8° oblong
« Strength ensures independence, attracts alliances and maintains friendships »
Autograph letter signed « Petain » [to Jean-Louis Forain ?]
N.p, 10th August 1918, 1 p. in-8° on his letterhead
« A few corpses descend the Marne along the water… »
Vintage print, inscribed « Ph. Pétain »
S.l., 2nd April 1941, 16,3 x 11,8 cm
A fine period print of the Marshal, with an autograph inscription
Autograph letter signed « Jean Potocki » to Firmin Didot
Tulczyn, 1st December [1810], 1 1/4 p. in-4°
« I realize every day that it is difficult to see clearly in science when you are so far from the home of the enlightenment »
Autograph letter signed « Louis-Napoléon » to his friend Pierre de Bourgoing
Camden Place [Chislehurst], 27th February 1871, 2 p. in-8°
« Who would have thought, when we were fighting there with chestnuts last summer, that the French and the Prussians would cut each other’s throats! »
Autograph letter signed « Louis-Napoléon » [to Marie Trotter]
Camden Place, Chislehurst (Kent), the 25th of March, 1871, 1 p. in-8°
« Thanks be to God, the Emperor is now with us… deeply moved, as we all were, by the sympathetic reception he had received from the English nation. »
Autograph letter signed « Louis Napoléon » to his friend Pierre de Bourgoing
Camden place, 23rd October 1870, 2 p. in-8° on bifolio
« England will never be worth France ! »
Autograph letter signed « P.-J. Proudhon » to Gustave Chaudey
Passy, September 11, 1863, 3 p. in-8°
« I no longer have any confidence in the present generation; I work without hope for the satisfaction of my conscience »
Autograph letter signed (third person) to Hélène T. Mazel
[Paris], 29 November 1843, 1/2 p. in-12°
Autograph letter of one of Juliette Récamier, with five additional letters about her
First draft autograph manuscript
N.p.n.d. [c. 1957-1959], 33 p. in-4° on graph paper
« A machine is a monster »
Autograph letter signed « J. Stalin » to Marietta Sergeevna Shaginyan
N.p, 20th May 1931, 1 p. in-folio, red ink, in russian
« Just tell me concretely who I need to put pressure on »
Autograph letter signed “Princesse de Chimay” to a friend
S.l, 27 May [circa 1816], 2 pages in-8
“by grace by charity by all that you will please my friend be human”
Autograph letter signed « Joseph Vacher » to doctor Lacassagne
[Prison of] Belley, le 30 Xbre [December] 1897, 4 p. in-8°
Letter of a serial killer
Autograph letter signed « J.V. » to Aurélien Scholl
[Londres], 29 8bre [October] [18]77, 6 pp. in-8°
« I am thinking of letting my political hopes lie dormant, and returning to my profession »