Novelties

CAILLEBOTTE, Gustave (1848-1894)

Autograph letter signed « G Caillebotte » to Claude Monet
N. p.n.d, “Friday” [Petit-Gennevilliers, after 1887], 1 p. in-8°

« Extraordinary effect in mass »

GAUTIER, Théophile (1811-1872)

Autograph poem signed « Théophile Gautier »
[N.p.n.d], 1 p. in-8° in black ink on blue laid paper

« And on the mournful, doleful hill / I see my final dwelling-place »

CEZANNE, Paul (1839-1906)

Autograph letter signed « Paul Cézanne » to Octave Mirbeau
Aix [en-Provence], 11th July 1903, 2 pp. in-8°

« I continue to seek, to develop through drawing and color the idea of art that I think I have »

ARAGON, Louis (1897-1982)

Autograph letter signed « Aragon » [to Elisabeth de Clermont-Tonnerre]
N.p.n.d, [1950], 1 p. in-4°

« Excuse me, Madam, for not wanting to have lunch with Thomas Mann… »

MAURRAS, Charles (1868-1952)

Autograph letter signed « Charles Maurras » to Louis-Xavier de Ricard
S.l, 31st December [1892], 15 p. in-8°, bespoke binding by Michel Kieffer

« I confess that I am anti-Jewish without being anti-Semitic »

JACOB, Max (1876-1944)

Autograph letter signed “Max” to Maurice Morel
St Benoît sur Loire, 23 September [19]43, 1 p. in-4, envelope attached

“There is no madness in hope”

APOLLINAIRE, Guillaume (1880-1918)

First draft manuscript for the poem “Le Voyageur”, from the poem collection Alcools
N.p.n.d [c. 1909-1910], 2 p. in-4to, black ink, multiple corrections

« Deux matelots qui ne s’étaient jamais quittés »

ZOLA, Alexandrine (1839-1925)

Autograph letter signed « Alexandrine Zola » to Gabriel Thyébaut
[Paris], 7 8bre [octobre] 1906, 8 pp. in-8° à l’encre violette sur papier de deuil

« I always think I die at every step, when I go up to this study in which life has also gone »

[RIMBAUD] VERLAINE, Paul (1844-1896)

Les Hommes d’Aujourd’hui
Original edition, n°318, 4 pp. in-4°

Proof copy with autograph corrections by Verlaine

COLETTE (1873-1954)

Autograph letter signed « Colette de Jouvenel » to her dear Sacha
[Paris, 1923], 2 pp. in-4°

« “Ripening Seed” will soon be published »

MAUPASSANT (de), Guy (1850-1893)

Autograph card-letter signed « Maupassant » [to Jacques Normand?]
24 rue Boccador, [Paris, 24th February 1891], 2 p. in-12°

« My head is sick »

CHATEAUBRIAND (de), François-René (1768-1848)

Autograph letter signed « Chateaubriand » to Laure de Cottens
Paris, 27 December 1832, 4 pp. in-4°

« I hoped to work in peace to my memories and never see again a homeland that is no longer one for me »

[VALÉRY, Paul] Henri MANUEL (1874-1947)

Portrait of Paul Valéry, period film print
[Paris, c. 20’s], cabinet format

Handsome and scarce portrait of Paul Valéry by Henri Manuel

DUMAS (père), Alexandre 1802-1870

Autograph letter signed « AlexDumas » to M. Bouquié
N.p.n.d [c. 1852], 1 p. in-12° on bifolio

« Do you please bring either Adele or anyone else – I’ll bring Charlotte »

MAUPASSANT (de), Guy (1850-1893)

Period albumen print by Benque & Co
[c. 1885], mounted on thick cardboard, cabinet format (10,5 x 15,4 cm)

Very scarce portrait of the novelist by Benque & Co

ÉLUARD, Paul (1895-1952)

Autograph poem, in honor of Gabriel Péri
N.p.n.d [after 1945], 1 p. in-folio (30,9 x 20,9 cm)

« Un homme est mort qui n’avait pour défense / Que ses bras ouverts à la vie »

[NAPOLEON] DAVOUT, Louis-Nicolas (1770-1823)

Autograph letter signed « L Davout » to his wife, Aimée Leclerc
Osterode [current Ostróda in Poland], 16 April [1807], 6 p. in-4°

« We do not know here whether the peaceful intentions of our emperor will prevail over the intrigues of our eternal enemies, but in any case we are more able than ever to make them triumph by our arms »

PUCCINI, Giacomo (1858-1924)

Illustrated postcard, signed « Giacomo Puccini » with autograph note beam
Torre del Lago, ag° [August] [1]902, 2 p. in-12°

« La Bohème »

KEROUAC, Jack (1922-1969)

Typed letter signed twice « Jack » and « Jack Kerouac » to Granville H. Jones
[Northport, New York, 22 November 1960] 2 p. in-4°, with envelope

« It is the only thing too that has made me happy in three years, since the publication of On the Road and the subsequent sickeningness of ‘being famous’ »

PISSARRO, Camille (1830-1903)

Autograph letter signed « C. Pissarro » to Noël Clément-Janin
Paris, 19th Feb[ruary] 1892, 1 p. 1/2 in-8°, with envelope

« Turner, Delacroix, Corot, Courbet, Daumier, Jongkind, Manet, Degas, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Guillaumin, Sisley, Seurat ! This is our march. »

MONET, Claude (1840-1926)

Autograph letter signed « Claude Monet » to a friend
[Giverny], 6th July 1922, 3 p. in-8°

« All my time, I devote it to work although my eyesight declines day by day »

MAURIAC, François (1885-1970)

Autograph letter signed « Fr » to priest Jacques Laval
7 February [1938 ?], 4 p. grand in-8°

« My tragedy is to have loved above all sincerity and to have ended up with the lie of my life »

[HUGO, Victor] Charles GALLOT (1838-1919)

Portrait of Victor Hugo, period albumen print on thick cardboard
[Paris, 12th April 1885], cabinet format

Rare original print of the last portrait of Victor Hugo alive, five weeks before his death

HUGO, Victor (1802-1885)

Autograph letter signed « Victor Hugo » [to Edgar Quinet ?]
H.H., 7th July, 1 p. in-8° on blue laid paper

« I see it in England, alas, narrow and intolerant, and profoundly hostile to progress »

FLAUBERT, Gustave (1821-1880)

Autograph letter signed « Gve Flaubert » to Pauline Sandeau
[Croisset], Saturday [16th November 1867], 3 p. in-8° on blue laid paper

« After that one, good evening! I will say goodbye to the bourgeois for the rest of my life »

BRAQUE, Georges (1882-1963)

Autograph letter signed « Georges Braque », to Daniel Wallard
N.p, 19th February 19[44], 4 p. in-12°

« I will now get back to work, of which I have the violent desire »

MONTIJO (de), Impératrice Eugénie (1826-1920)

Autograph letter signed « Eugénie » to Marie-Thérèse Bartholoni
Camden Place, Chislehurst [January 1873], 8 p. in-8°, mourning paper

« The Emperor’s rapid death has, so to speak, awakened the public conscience. »

JACOB, Max (1876-1944)

Autograph letter signed « Max Jacob » to a friend
St Benoît-sur-Loire, Loiret, 23 Feb[ruary] 1926, 2 p. in-8°

« Valadon is a great artist who feels deeply and has a great science. She doesn’t have the place she deserves »

CLAUDEL, Paul (1868-1955)

Autograph manuscript signed « Paul Claudel »
N.p, 4th January 1951, 2 p. in-4°

« Joan is tied to her pole which represents faith. She is rooted in an immutable certainty »

MASARYK, Tomáš (1850-1937)

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 »

JARRY, Alfred (1873-1907)

Autograph letter signed « Alfred Jarry » to Alfred Valette 
Laval, 31 janv[ier] [19]07, 4 pp. in-12°

« It’s strange how physical health is intimately linked to the health issue.… phynances »

CASSATT, Mary (1844-1926)

Autograph letter signed « Mary Cassatt » to Achille Segard
Villa Angeletto – Grasse, 14th April [1913], 6 p. in-8° on mourning paper

« And then I wanted to be such a great painter, Titian or Rembrandt, just that… »

BORGES, Jorge Luis (1899-1986)

Autograph card-letter signed with his initials to Ricardo Güiraldes
[Buenos Aires, 7th December 1926], 1 p. small in-8°

« Ya con un pie en el estribo en literales vísperas de empamparme »

BELLMER, Hans (1902-1945)

Autograph letter signed « HB » to Joë Bousquet
Revel, Tuesday 11 Sept[ember] 1945, 1 p. in-4° on pink paper

« I write like an articulated doll »

[FLAUBERT] Paul NADAR (1856-1939)

Late print showing Flaubert in bust
[Paris, c. 1910], cabinet format mounted thick cardboard

Scarce and legendary portrait of Flaubert by Nadar

BERGSON, Henri (1859-1941)

Autograph letter signed « H. Bergson » to a friend
Paris, 2nd March 1920, 3 p. 1/2 in-8°

« I believe that in philosophical matters the imprecise does not count, and that we must be three times sure of what we bring to the public if we want to obtain from it a beginning of consent »

RIMBAUD, Arthur (1854-1891)

Autograph manuscript signed twice « Rimbaud », to Armand Savouré
Harar, 30 March 1890, 1/2 p. in-4°

Unpublished receipt from Harar intended to Armand Savouré, the last before Rimbaud ceased all activity with him

STENDHAL, Henri Beyle, dit (1783-1842)

Autograph letter signed « D’Arlimpe » to Pauline Périer-Lagrange
Paris, 10th December [1810], 3 p. 1/2 in-4°

« We get into the habit of displaying the hardness to escape the ridicule of the tender »

[ZOLA] FLAUBERT, Gustave (1821-1880)


Autograph letter signed « Votre Gve Flaubert » to Emile Zola
[Paris, 17 December 1874], 1 p. in-8°

« Tourgueneff, de Goncourt & Daudet will be at my place on Sunday »

HUGO, Victor (1802-1885)

CHAR, René (1907-1988)

Autograph letter signed « R. Char » to Marianne Oswald
N.p.n.d, 2 p. in-8°

« Read my poems, they are composed for this, but do not ask me to show myself, nor to flaunt my poetic existence »

GIDE, André (1869-1951)

Autograph letter signed « A. G. » [to Élie Allégret]
Uzès [1st January 1892], 6 p. in-8°

« I definitely believe that we should worry about the judgment only of those we esteem and, for others, not worry about pleasing them »

PROUST, Marcel (1871-1922)

Autograph letter signed « Marcel Proust » to Marie Scheikévitch
Cabourg, [5th September 1912], 3 p. 1/2 in-8°

« This church description that I attached more importance to since I knew you would read it »

MONTIJO (de), Impératrice Eugénie (1826-1920)

Autograph letter signed « Eugénie » to Marie-Thérèse Bartholoni
Farnborough Hill, 17th November 1892, 3 p. in-8° on mourning paper

« Never before have we kissed and armed so much in Europe. As long as it is a guarantee of peace ! »

CELINE, Louis-Ferdinand (1894-1961)

Autograph letter signed « Louis Destouches (LF Céline) » to Léon Daudet
[Paris, May 1936], 8 pp. large in-4°

« I write in a kind of spoken prose, transposed »

PROUST, Marcel (1871-1922)

Telegram to Marie Scheikévitch
[Friday 21st September 1917], 1 p. in-8°

« My health, so detestable at this moment, often deprives me at the last hour of the most desired pleasures»

[LISZT, Franz] Ferenc KÓZMATA (1846-1902)

Portrait of Franz Liszt, vintage albumen print
[Budapest, c. 1965], carte-de-visite format

Handsome portrait of Liszt in cassock by Kózmata

RIMBAUD, Arthur (1854-1891)

Autograph letter signed « Rimbaud » to his family
Aden, 10th September 1884, 4 pp. in-8° on laid paper

« And since every man is a slave in this miserable fatality »

STALIN, Joseph (1878-1953)

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 »

[DREYFUS] ZOLA, Emile (1840-1902)

[BAUDELAIRE] VERLAINE, Paul (1844-1896)

Autograph letter signed twice « Paul Verlaine » to Léon Deschamps
Paris, 23rd August 1892, 3 p. in-12° on bi-folio

« Baudelaire was my dearest fanaticism and is, that is to say, will remain one of my greatest admiration »

BAUDELAIRE, Charles (1821-1867)

Autograph letter signed « Charles Baudelaire » to Alphonse de Calonne
[Paris], 23rd February [18]64, 1 p. in-8° on blue paper

« A heavy work, I assure you, but of which I am quite happy »

[BAUDELAIRE] BRACQUEMOND, Félix (1833-1914)

Etching depicting the poet
[Second edition of The Flowers of evil – March 1861], 1 p. in-12°

Famous portrait by Bracquemond for the second edition of The Flowers of evil

VERLAINE, Paul (1844-1896)

Autograph letter signed « P. Verlaine », attached with an autograph poem signed, to Émile Bally
Paris, 31st January 1894, 3 p. in-12°

« I am sending you a little poem that you will kindly give to Mr London »

CHAR, René (1907-1988)

Autograph letter signed « R. Char » to Marianne Oswald
[N.p.n.d], 1 p. in-4°

« It’s alive like a nest on the fork of a branch »

PELADAN, Joséphin (1858-1918)

Autograph letter signed ‘Peladan‘ to Gabriel Mourey
[Paris, 18th April 1888], 1 page in-8 on yellow paper

“I said, my dear friend, that we send you the new Aurevilly”

PROUST, Marcel (1871-1922)

Autograph letter signed « Marcel » to Robert de Billy
S.l [Paris], between the 11th and the 14th of January 1912, 4 p. in-8°

« Above all, do not send me back the previous 500. You will give them back to me when you come, or give me a sentimental pleasure by never returning them to me and giving me the illusion of maintaining a lady with whom you would have romantic relations »

MALRAUX, André (1901-1976)

Autograph letter signed « André Malraux » to a critic
Np, 30th [1933], 1 page in-8

“I understand, of course, the mistrust that a book about China can inspire”

GARCÍA LORCA, Federico (1898-1936)

Original drawing titled « Poesia »
N.p.n.d, 1 p. in-8° on double folio, extracted from a book

Touching drawing of the poet soberly titled « Poesia »

[DELACROIX] SAND, George (1804-1876)

Autograph letter signed « G.S. » to Eugène Delacroix
[Nohant, 13 August 1843], 4 p. in-8°, autograph address on fourth folio

« I no longer exist, I told you. It’s been three years since I died, having committed suicide voluntarily to prevent myself from dying and not to drag a ridiculous agony »

PRINCE IMPÉRIAL, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (1856-1879)

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 ! »

FLAUBERT, Gustave (1821-1880)

Autograph letter signed « Ton G. » to Louise Colet
[Croisset] Satursday evening [26th June 1852.], 4 pp. in-4°

« Musset was a charming young man and then an old man; but nothing planted, stale, square, serene in his talent or his person »

FLAUBERT, Gustave (1821-1880)

Autograph letter to his mistress Louise Colet
[Rouen], Wednesday, 2 pm [2nd December 1846], 3 p. in-8°

« I’m not made for happiness, maybe not even for love »

ARTAUD, Antonin (1896-1948)

Autograph letter signed « Antonin Artaud » to Adrienne Monnier
Psychiatric Hospital of Ville-Evrard, 4th March 1939, 2 p. in-4° with enveloppe

« This story of look-alikes is as old as centuries, and all the great characters throughout history have found real doubles »

[ZOLA] FLAUBERT, Gustave, (1821-1880)

Autograph letter signed « Gus Flaubert » to Émile Zola
[Croisset, 25th July 1876], 3 p. in-8°

« I received yesterday from our young friend Maupassant a very pleasant epistle, and full of the detail of his lust – on a boat, with a fat woman »

CLEMENCEAU, Georges (1841-1929)

Autograph novel for his collection of articles Aux Embuscades de la vie
N.p [1903], 10 pp. in-4

“This happiness did not seem to be done for the miserable Jew who until now had been striving in vain to conquer gold”

[BAUDELAIRE] FLAUBERT, Gustave (1821-1880)

Autograph letter signed « Gus Flaubert » to Jules Sandeau
Croisset, 26 January [1862], 2 p. in-8 on blue laid paper

« Yesterday I received a letter from Baudelaire inviting me to ask for your voice for his candidacy to the Academy »

COLETTE (1873-1954)

Autograph letter signed « Colette de Jouvenel » to Charles Sylvestre
[Paris, 21st March 1922], 1 p. in-4° with envelope

« Apart from my relatives, no one notices that Colette was a saint! »

PAGNOL, Marcel (1895-1974)

First draft poetic autograph notes
N.p.n.d, 3 p. in-4° on school paper

« La robe infâme / Fit naître ton émoi / Ainsi ton âme / Ne fut jamais à moi »

SUPERVIELLE, Jules (1884-1960)

Period photographic print with autograph dedication, signed twice
N.p, 22 Dec[ember] 1952, 23,5 x 17,3 cm

Nice and large autographed print of the writer

[PRINCE IMPÉRIAL] Gösta FLORMAN (1831-1900)

Portrait of the Prince Impérial by Gösta Florman, period albumen print
[Stockholm, 1878], carte-de-visite format

Supere portrait of the Prince Impérial by Gösta Florman

MONTIJO (de), Impératrice Eugénie (1826-1920)

Autograph letter signed « Eugénie » to Marie-Thérèse Bartholoni
Camden Place, Chislehurst, 10 10bre [October 1873], 4 p. in-8°, mourning paper

« When you want an unhealthy share of popularity, you don’t know how to absolve or condemn »

CHATEAUBRIAND (de), François-René (1768-1848)

Autograph letter signed « Le V^te 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 »

TRENET, Charles (1913-2001)

Autograph letter signed « Charles Trenet » to Louis Cousseau
[La Varenne Saint-Hilaire], 11th October 1961, 2 p. in-4°

« Your friends from Algeria, in duty, often write to me to thank me for the little comfort that my refrains give them »

MERMOZ, Jean (1901-1936)

Autograph poem titled « Ciel »
S.l.n.d, 1 p. in-4°

« I was slowly following the path of My Life / Far from the World lost and drowned in Envy »

[SCHUMANN, Clara] Fritz LUCKHARDT (1843-1894)

Portrait of Clara Wieck-Schumann, vintage albumen print
[Vienna, c. 1870], carte-de-visite format

Famous portrait of Clara Wieck-Schumann by Fritz Luckhardt

BEAUMARCHAIS (de), Pierre-Augustin Caron (1732-1799)

Autograph letter signed « Beaumarchais » to comedian Préville
Paris, 31st March 1784, 2 pp. in-8°

« My play isn’t a big thing ; but seeing it in the theater is the result of four years of fighting »

[RUBINSTEIN, Anton] Julius Cornelius SCHAARWÄCHTER (1847-1904)

Portrait of Anton Rubinstein, vintage albumen print
[Berlin, c. 1847], carte-de-visite format

Elegant portrait of the young Russian composer and prodigy

[PRINCE IMPÉRIAL] Elliott & Fry

Portrait of the Prince Impérial by Elliott & Fry
[London, c. 1875], albumen carte-de-visite

Elegant portrait of Prince Imperial, printed in his honor after his tragic death in Southern Africa

[PRINCE IMPÉRIAL] BIZOT, Adrien (1848-1929)

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! »

SAND, George (1804-1876)

Autograph letter signed “GSand” [to Paul Porel]
Nohant, May 28 [18]76, 1 page in-8 in black ink

One of George Sand’s last letters, a few days before her death

[PRINCE IMPERIAL] H. Marres

Photomontage on period albumen print
N.p.n.d, cabinet format (10 x 13,5 cm)

Extremely rare photomontage depicting the killing of the Prince Imperial by the Zulus, in southern Africa

[NAPOLEON III] FLAMANT, Louis Emmanuel

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

FLAUBERT, Gustave (1821-1880)

Autograph letter signed « Gve Flaubert » to Pauline Sandeau
[Paris], Wednesday, 3 h [20th March 1867], 1 p. in-8° on laid paper

« I have an appointment with a police commissioner, for literary information »

[EUGÉNIE de Montijo, Empress] W&D Downey

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

[SARTRE, Jean-Paul (1905-1980)]

Autograph letter signed « Christian Chapuis » to Jean-Paul Sartre
Maîche [Doubs], 21st June 1954, 4 p. in-8°

 « I read in “Intimacy”, a chapter of the “Wall” that a man lies for two hours with a woman. Is this possible? »

[SECOND EMPIRE] The imperial family and its private circle

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

COLETTE (1873-1954)

Autograph letter signed « Colette » [to Jacques de Marsillac]
La Treille muscate – Saint Tropez [30s], 2 p. in-4° with envelope

« Inventons quelque chose qui m’autorise, sans quitter le Journal ami, à être dans ses colonnes autre chose que la critique théâtrale. C’est un affreux métier »

SARTRE, Jean-Paul (1905-1980)

Autograph preparatory manuscript for Les Mots
N.p.n.d [c. 1953-1955], 1 p. in-8°

« I became someone, an Other »

CAMUS, Albert (1913-1960)

Autograph letter signed « Albert Camus » to Jean-Louis Barrault
N.p, [Paris] Tuesday 6th October 1953

« You see, I’m excited… And not only excited, but also moved, and vaguely proud »

JACOB, Max (1876-1944)

Autograph letter signed « Max Jacob » to Marcel Thiébaut
Monastère de St Benoît-sur-Loire, 16th May 1924, 2 p. in-8° on bi-folio

« You have exuded the character of my heroes better than I have done myself »

ARAGON, Louis (1897-1982)

Autograph letter signed « Aragon » to Max-Pol Fouchet, head of Fontaine magazine in Algiers
[N.p] Sarturday 31st May [1941], 4 p. large in-4°

« Never has poetry, French culture of which we are the unworthy custodians, been put to the test of an era such as this »

BAUDELAIRE, Charles (1821-1867)

Autograph letter signed “Ch. Baudelaire” to F. Bichet
[Paris], 4 February 1860, 1/2 p. in-8

“The second part of Opium…”

[ZOLA] FLAUBERT, Gustave (1821-1880)

Autograph letter signed « Votre vieux Gve Flaubert » to Emile Zola
Croisset, Sunday [15 février 1880], 3 p. in-8°

« Nana turns into myth, without ceasing to be real »

LAWRENCE, David Herbert (1885-1930)

Autograph letter signed “DH Lawrence” to George Conway
Hôtel Beau Rivage, Bandol, 29th December 1928, 2 p. in-8vo, with envelope

« We have lived too long to be shocked by words any more »

[MARX] SARTRE, Jean-Paul (1905-1980)

Original typescript with autograph correction by Jean-Paul Sartre
N.p.n.d [c. 1957], 1 p. in-4° on thin paper

« The Marxist method is progressive because it is the result, in Marx, of long analyses…»

MONTIJO (de), Impératrice Eugénie (1826-1920)

Autograph letter signed « Eugénie », to Marie-Thérèse Bartholoni
Camden Place, Chislehurst, 16th March 1880, 4 p. in-8°, mourning paper

« I hope, upon my return, either to be stronger or no longer need to rely on my strengths »

BOUSQUET, Jöe (1897-1950)

6 autograph letters signed, all adressed to Variétés journal
Carcassonne, 1946-1947, 21 pages in-8

Cosmic reality and color, Dubuffet & Bellmer…

LEVI, Primo (1919-1987)

Set of two letters signed « Primo Levi » to Roland Stragliati
Turin, 19th and 29th June 1980, 8 p. in-4°

« Come le ho scritto, sarebbe piuttosto una clef de serrage »

[CHAR] ARAGON, Louis (1897-1982)

Autograph letter signed « Aragon » (draft), to René Char
[Paris, 10th August 1946], 1 p. 1/2 in-4°

« I do not accept to be lectured, I admit even less that it is claimed to be given to Esla. And the Olympian tone of your letter proves to me that if there are some who get lost, it is only in the image of kicking the ass »

PROUST, Marcel (1871-1922)

Autograph letter signed « Marcel Proust » to Louis Suchet d’Albufera
[Paris, 26th May 1908], 4 p. in-8° in mourning paper

« It is the elegance of generous and delicate hearts when they render great service like you, to say that it is no service »

HEREDIA (de), José-Maria (1842-1905)

Autograph poem signed « M. de Heredia » to marquise de Saint-Paul
S.l.n.d [1894], 1 p. in-8°

« Carmen m’a donné la rose / Qui sur son cœur s’effeuillait »

ÉLUARD, Paul (1895-1952)

Autograph postcard signed and countersigned by Nusch, to Mrs Grindel
[Nice, 19th November 1934], 1 p. in-8°

« Our best kisses »

VERLAINE, Paul (1844-1896)

[DELACROIX] SAND, George (1804-1876)

Autograph letter signed « George Sand » to Eugène Delacroix
[Nohant], 1^st December [18]52, 2 p. in-8°

« I understand you well, to absorb yourself in the serious and continuous drunkenness of creation »

SADE, Donatien-Alphonse-François, Marquis de (1740-1814)

Autograph letter to his wife, Renée-Pélagie de Montreuil
[N.p], 1st avril, [Vincennes Prison], 1 p. 1/2 in-12°

« I suffer like a damned man »

MARTIN DU GARD, Roger (1881-1958)

Autograph letter signed « Roger Martin du Gard » to a critic
Porquerolles, 30th June 1922, 6 pp. in-8°

« Les Thibault will prove nothing; there is no theoretical conflict of ideas »

CHAR, René (1907-1988)

Period film print with autograph dedication
[L’Isle-sur-Sorgue], 1960, 1 p. in-8°

« A Marianne, son ami proche »

FLAUBERT, Gustave (1821-1880)

Autograph letter signed « Gus Flaubert » to Jules Sandeau
[Paris], Monday morning [14 December 1863], 1 p. in-8vo

« I’m not going to see you because I guess you’re in all the embarrassment of a Premiere »

HUGO, Victor (1802-1885)

Autograph letter signed “Victor H” à Joséphine Trébuchet
Brussels, 19th December [1851], 1 page in-8 on double sheet

“I fought for the right, for the truth, for the righteous, for the people, for France”

SADE, Donatien-Alphonse-François, Marquis de (1740-1814)

Autograph letter signed “de Sade” to his aunt Gabrielle-Eléonore de Sade
N.p, 22nd April [1790], 3 pp. in-8vo

“My room was searched and I lost everything… precious works, the fruit of fifteen years’ work, I have saved nothing… and all this through the fault of those wretched rascals whom I hope God will one day avenge me”

ZOLA, Emile (1840-1902)

Autograph letter signed « Emile Zola » to a colleague
Paris, 12th November [18]93, 1 p. 1/2 in-8

“When I have finished a book and given it to the public, it no longer exists for me. All my passion collapses”

PUCCINI, Giacomo (1858-1924)

Autograph letter signed « G Puccini » to Antonio Bettolacci
N.p.n.d [Torre del Lago, c. 1900], 3 p. in-8°, in Italian

« I have to refine the bells of Tosca »

MERMOZ, Jean (1901-1936)

Autograph letter to his grandparents
Mazamet 31st March [1935], 1 p. ¾ in-4

« I would not have wanted him to precede me in such a disastrous way. That he followed me there later, much later, it would have been in order… »

HUGO, Victor (1802-1885)

Draft of an autograph poem
N.p.n.d [Guernesey, 1859], 1 p. in-8° (140 x 145 cm)

« Never mind O traitor! at point-blank range my book shoots you! »

VOLTAIRE, François-Marie Arouet, dit (1694-1778)

Autograph letter signed « de Voltaire » to George-Conrad Walther
Château de Lunéville, 6th April 1748, 3 p. in-8°

« Forgive a man who is a friend of peace this warmth he puts into preserving it, and this fear he has of seeing his work destroyed »

[BAUDELAIRE] CARJAT, Étienne (1828-1906)

Period albumen print
[Paris, between late 1861 and early 1862]. Wet stamp « Et. Carjat »

Étienne Carjat’s masterpiece, the only known period print

ZOLA, Emile (1840-1902)

Corrected proofs for his novel The Beast within
Paris, January 1890, 45 proofs printed on recto

« I love you, I will never let anyone hurt you… See, how good it is to be so, one in another ! »

[CAMUS] CHAR, René (1907-1988)

Autograph letter signed « René Char » to Marianne Oswald
N.p, 15th March, 2 p. in-8°

« Above all, we must talk about Albert and the abyssal emptiness that his disappearance caused. It is up to friendship to bloom this void »

HUGO, Victor (1802-1885)

Autograph letter signed « V.H. » to pastor Nathanaël Martin-Dupont
Hauteville House, 3 7bre [September 1868], 1 p. in-12° on mourning paper

« The great soul in this great clarity sees that I am crying, and knows that I’m hoping »

PROUST, Marcel (1871-1922)

Autograph letter signed « Marcel Proust » to Robert de Billy
[Paris, second half of July, 1907] 5 pages in-8°

“But isn’t it enough that you are the appearance to rejoice a heart that flees from the truth?”

CHAR, René (1907-1988)

Autograph letter signed « René Char » to Marianne Oswald
N.p, 11 January 1950, 1 p. in-4°

« I killed some bastards out of military and civic necessity in 1940-1944 »

RICŒUR, Paul (1913-2005)

Three autograph letters signed to Peter Kemp and one autograph manuscript signed
[Paris], between 1970 and 1986, 9 p. in-8° et in-4°, one envelope

« Our son Olivier committed suicide a few days before Easter »

PRINCE IMPÉRIAL, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (1856-1879)

MONTIJO (de), Impératrice Eugénie (1826-1920)

Autograph letter signed « Eugénie » to Marie-Thérèse Bartholoni
Prince’s gate SW [London], 26 November [1881], 5 p. in-8 on mourning paper

« The widow of Napoleon III remains and will remain close to those who died in exile »

CLAUDEL, Paul (1868-1955)

Autograph letter signed « P Claudel » to André Ruyters
Prague, 14th July [1910], 2 p. in-8 oblong, autograph envelope attached

“These literary vampires are real criminals”

DALÍ, Salvador (1904-198

Original drawings and autograph poem
N.p.n.d [c. 1935], 1 p. in-8° (16 x 20,5 cm)

« I empty my evil »

BILLAUD-VARENNE, Jacques-Nicolas (1756-1819)

Autograph letter signed « Billaud-Varenne » to his colleagues
Sainte-Ménehould, 16th September 1792, 3 p. 1/2 in-4°

« Keep that calm and energy that got you victory in front of the Bastille and the Château des Tuileries »

SARTRE, Jean-Paul (1905-1980)

Original vintage gelatino-film print by Roger Parry
C. 1938, 23.7 x 17.5 cm

LONDON, Jack (1876-1916)

Autograph letter to Charmian Kittredge
Aboard the S.S. Siberia, 13th January 1904, 4 p. in-8, in english

“What wild dreams I had! And you were in all of them”

NÉMIROVSKY, Irène (1903-1942)

Autograph card signed « Irène Némirovsky » to Robert Chauvelot
Paris, 30th May 1933, 2 p. small in-8°

« Would you like to give me the great pleasure of coming to my house on Saturday […] have a cup of tea, in privacy, in the Russian way? »

LOUIS XVI (1754-1793)

Autograph letter signed “Louis” to a Monsieur
N.d.n.p (1781 before May), 1 page small in-8 on double sheet

“I could give the last orders on Sunday to Mr. Amelot and Mr. Necker, for I wish that the thing would not drag on for too long”

GENET, Jean (1910-1986)

Fragment of an autograph poem
N.p.n.d [Paris, prison de la Santé – 1943], 1/4 p. in4°

« My quail bundled up, crushed under my fingers »

VERLAINE, Paul (1844-1896)

Autograph letter signed « P Verlaine » to Jules Rais
[Paris] 39 rue Descartes, 2 January [18]96, 1 p. in-12° on laid paper

« I’m writing to you so little and so badly »

ARAGON, Louis (1897-1982)

Autograph poem signed « Aragon », titled « D’une petite fille massacrée »
N.p.n.d, 1 p. in-8°

« You will not awaken this child. She’s dead »

[RIMBAUD] CHAR, René (1907-1988)

Autograph letter signed « René Char » to Marianne Oswald
L’Isle [sur-la-Sorgue], 25 April [19]68, 1 p. 1/4 in-8°

« More than ever I understand Rimbaud to have “gone away”…»

[RIMBAUD] VERLAINE, Paul (1844-1896)

Autograph letter signed « Votre P Verlaine » to l’abbé Louis Le Cardonnel
Paris, 9 Feb[ruary] [18]86, 2 p. 1/4 in-8° on mourning paper

« I don’t really know where I’m going, it’s called not living anymore »

RILKE, Rainer Maria (1875-1926)

Autograph letter signed « RM Rilke » to Eduard Korrodi
[Glion] 20 March 1926, 8 p. in-8° in blue ink

« The feeling of this pure and grandiose landscape from which had come to me, in years of solitude and concentration, an incessant and inexhaustible help »

COCTEAU, Jean (1889-1963)

Autograph manuscript signed « Jean Cocteau »
[Maisons-Laffitte and Arnaga, 1909], 86 p. in-4°

Complete autograph manuscript of Jean Cocteau’s second poetic collection : Le Prince Frivole

BAUDELAIRE, Charles (1821-1867)

[Second notice on] Pierre Dupont – Corrected proof
[Paris] 6th June 1861 [stamped], 11 p. in-8vo bradel

“The public was so tired of Victor Hugo’s tireless faculties, his indestructible beauties”

BAUDELAIRE, Charles (1821-1867)

Autograph letter signed « Charles » to his mother, Madame Aupick
[Paris], 1^st July 1853, 3 p. in-8°

« What is quite certain is that I no longer want to give anything to chance in my life, and that I claim that the will occupies the full extent of it »

VERLAINE, Paul (1844-1896)

Autograph letter signed “P Verlaine” to Jules Tellier
Paris, 19 July 1887, 4 pages in-12 on two separate sheets

“There is even a very good cabaret at the end of Campo Santo that Baudelaire would have liked…”

[VERLAINE] KRANTZ, Eugénie (18–/1897)

Autograph letter signed twice “Eugénie Krantz” to Edmond Lepelletier
Paris, 39 rue Descartes, 8th January 1896, 2 pp. in-12 oblong

Extraordinary first-hand and unpublished testimony on Verlaine’s last moments, the day of his death

VIGNY (de), Alfred (1797-1863)

Autograph poem signed « Alfred »
N.p.n.d, 1 p. in-folio

Nice autograph poem signed from his early years

[HUGO] Juliette DROUET (1806-1883)

Autograph letter signed « Juliette » to Victor Hugo
N.p, 12 February [1849], 4 pp. in-8°

« I like the violent and expeditious genre »

GENET, Jean (1910-1986)

Autograph manuscript (first draft)
N.p.n.d [1971], 4 p. 1/2 in-4°

« The target remained the same: a Negro who thinks, who writes what he thinks, whose book is the announcement and preparation of a black revolution »

GAUGUIN, Paul (1848-1903)

Autograph letter signed « Paul Gauguin » to Daniel de Monfreid
[Tahiti], November 1895, 3 p. 1/4 p. in-4°

« Every night frenzied girls invade my bed; yesterday I had three to function »

ARAGON, Louis (1897-1982)

Autograph manuscript on his vision of poetry
N.p.n.d [50s], 6 pp. in-4°

« However, Arthur Rimbaud… »

VERDI, Giuseppe (1813-1901)

Autograph letter signed « GVerdi » to M. Cartier
Busseto, 25th July 1898, 1 p. in-8°

« I hasten to send you the signature you are asking me for »

NADAR, Félix Tournachon, dit (1820-1910)

Autograph letter signed « Nadar » to Ernest Vaughan from journal L’Aurore
Marseille, 26 8bre [October] [18]99, 2 page in-12

« And then I no longer see Clemenceau in my Aurore »

ZOLA, Alexandrine (1839-1925)

Autograph letter signed « Alexandrine Zola » to Gabriel Thyébaut
[Paris], 8 February [18]84, 1 p. 1/2 small in-8°

« Would you like to make me the favor, to my husband and myself, to come to dinner on Thursday, February 14? »

LISZT, Franz (1811-1886)

Original photograph by Julien Ganz
Period albumen print (1882), cabinet format

Striking and unpublished portrait of the musician

TOULOUSE-LAUTREC (de), Henri (1864-1901)

Autograph letter signed « Your boy H » to his mother Adèle Zoë Tapié de Céleyran
[Villiers-sur-Morin, fall 1886], 4 p. in-12

« I fly from ladder to ladder »

BERGSON, Henri (1859-1941)

Autograph aphorism signed « H. Bergson »
N.p.n.d, 1/4 p. in-8°

« As soon as we love the best in life, we become indifferent to death »

[BAUDELAIRE] VERLAINE, Paul (1844-1896)

Autograph letter signed « Paul Verlaine » to Léon Deschamps
Paris, 19th October 1890, 1 p. in-8

« I had accompanied, very young and all obscure as I was, the coffin of Baudelaire »

MODIGLIANI, Amedeo (1884-1920)

Autograph letter signed « Modigliani » to art dealer Léopold Zborowski
[Nice, New year’s eve 31th December 1918], 2 pp. in-8°

« I sold all the paintings. Send the money quickly. Champagne flows »

MALRAUX, André (1901-1976)

Autograph letter signed « And. Malraux » to Ventura García Calderón
Marrakech, 21st April [1952], 2 pages in-8, l’Hôtel de la Mamounia à Marrakech letterhead

“I have long thought that in literature any personal attack is futile”

[RIMBAUD] Paul VERLAINE (1844-1896)

Autograph letter signed twice « P Verlaine » and « P.V » to Émile Bally
Paris [1^st June 1894], 3 p. 1/2 in-8° with autograph envelope

« I am there, along with Rimbaud, Valade, d’Hervilly and three or four others »

HAHN, Reynaldo (1874-1947)

14 autograph letters signed correspondence to Juliette Massenet
Paris and Versailles, between 1901 and 1926, 26 p. in various formats

“I am too flattered by my Master’s desire not to make available to you my mediocre piano faculties”

APOLLINAIRE, Guillaume (1880-1918)

Epistolary autograph poem signed « Guillaume Apollinaire », to André Billy
Nîmes, 20th March 1915, 1 p. in-8° on Café Tortoni’s letterhead

« On his beautiful forehead shines a flame / In his hand blooms a twig »

WEIL, Simone (1909-1943)

Autograph letter signed “Simone Weil” to Henri Guilbeaux
Auxerre [Autumn 1932], 1 p. in-4to

“At the moment, I am, of course, extremely worried about the comrades in Berlin”

HUGO, Victor (1802-1885)

Autograph letter signed “Victor Hugo” to a critic
28 January [1870], H[auteville] H[ouse], [Guernesey], 1 p. in-4

“I dedicate, like Aeschylus, my works to time”

POTOCKI, Jan (1761-1815)

Autograph letter signed “Jean Potocki” to Firmin Didot
Uladowka, 1^st November [1814], 1 p. in-4

“You have received the first book of my Principles of Chronology for the Twelve Centuries Leading Up to the Olympiads”

[DUMAS] FERRIER, Ida (1811-1859)

Autograph letter signed “Ida”
[Between 1840 & 1844] Saturday, 1/2 p. in-12

“I had instructed Alexandre to present them to you, but I believe that he has forgotten my committee”

TURGENEV, Ivan (1818-1883)

Autograph letter signed « Y. Tourguenieff » to Princess Troubetzkoy
Courtavenel, 24th August 1857, 1 p. in-8°

« I would have arrived without warning »

CELINE, Louis-Ferdinand (1894-1961)

Autograph letter signed twice, « Des » and « Louis », to his wife Lucette
Københavns Fængsler’s prison, 22nd August 1946, 2 pp. in-4°

« Unfortunately, I no longer have enough years, months to live to puke all that I have swallowed in these months of resentment, humiliation and hatred »

VERLAINE, Paul (1844-1896)

Corrected proofs for Bonheur by Paul Verlaine, accompanied with an autograph letter signed about the poem collection
[Léon VANIER] Paris, Léon Vanier, 1891, in-12°

“Jester! my books are selling well, and how nice it would be if they finally gave me a small rent while making your phortune to you”

CHAR, René (1907-1988)

Autograph poem signed « René Char »
N.p.n.d, 1 p. in-4°

« Dans le berceau conciliant / Ou tu rougis petite aurore »

SIGNAC, Paul (1863-1935)

Autograph letter signed « P.S. » to Henry van de Velde
N.p.n.d (c. 1911-1912), 1 p. 1/2 in -8°

« Since the death of my dear mother, I have deferred to those who, like her, never do me so much good »

MAUPASSANT (de), Guy (1850-1893)

Autograph letter signed « Guy de Maupassant »  to a gentleman
N.p.n.d [Cannes, after 1885], 1 p. in-12 on his letterhead Bel-Ami

“I will choose a dark day to be sure to find you”

FRIESZ, Emile Othon (1879-1949)

Autograph manuscript
N.p, c. 1938, 4 pp. in-8°

« In art, let us not forget, fashion is the mask of death»

DERAIN, André (1880-1954)

Autograph letter signed « A Derain » to a gentleman
Lisieux, 31st May 1915, 1 p. in-4°

« I have been very abandoned from painting circles, I even wonder if I will ever do some again »

MALIBRAN, Maria (1808-1836)

Autograph letter signed « Maria » to Louis Viardot
[Brussels, 18th March 1832], 1 p. 1/4 in-4°

« Next Saturday Mrs. Malibran and Mr. de Bériot will be heard in a Concert given by them at the Grand Théâtre »

LA PEROUSE (de), Jean François (1741-1788)

Autograph letter signed « Laperouse » to Poussielgue
Paris, 18th June 1785, 1 page in-8, address on verso

“I will be gone from Brest…”

NERVAL (de), Gérard (1808-1855)

Autograph letter signed « Gérard de Nerval » à Pierre Bocage
N.p [Paris], 19th October 1852, 1 p. in-8°

« It seems to me that the cause is not lost »

NERVAL (de), Gérard (1808-1855)

Autograph letter signed « Gérard de Nerval » to Arsène Houssaye
[N.p], March 1850, 1/2 p. in-8 on bi-folio, autograph address on verso

« Ladies’ stalls or small lodges »

HUGO, Victor (1802-1885)

Autograph fragments for a satirical poem
S.l.n.d [Guernesey, 1870], two teared strips in-4°

« Brunet was once a clown. He was radiant / Above humans by dint of stupidity »

CARROLL, Lewis (1832-1898)

Autograph letter signed « C.L. Dodgson » to Mr Burton
Eastbourne, Aug[ust] 25 [18]77, 2 p. in-12° with pink ink

« The book is called Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland »

SAINT-SAENS, Camille (1835-1921)

Autograph letter signed « C. Saint S » [to Louis Gallet]
S.l, 5 February, 2 p. in-4°

« This piece did not amuse me to do »

BEAUVOIR (de), Simone (1908-1986)

Autograph manuscript (fragments) accompanied by an autograph letter signed for La Longue Marche – Essai sur la Chine
[Paris, 1956] 15 pages in-4°, with two autograph envelopes

« China is not a political entity; I guess with joy, that it has a sky, its colors, its trees, a flesh »

PSICHARI, Ernest (1883-1914)

Autograph letter signed « Ernest Psichari » to Maurice Reclus
Paris, 11th June 1902, 8 p. in-folio

« My only intention was, I swear, to couple words adrift, with harmony and rarity, as much as possible »

BALZAC, Honoré de (1799-1850)

Autograph letter signed in the third person « M. de Balzac » to Maurice Schlesinger
N.d.n.p, Sunday [1837], 1/2 p. in-8 with autograph address

“It is absolutely necessary to agree on Gambara”

VILMORIN, Louise de (1902-1969)

Autograph manuscript signed “Louise de Vilmorin” 
N.p, [Hôpital Américain, Neuilly-sur-Seine], 14th June 1952, 2 p. 1/2 in-4

“The sad and wonderful stories of Gérard de Nerval are the work of an explorer of sorrow”

CLEMENT, Jean-Baptiste (1836-1903)

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 »

ZOLA, Emile (1840-1902)

Autograph letter signed « Emile Zola » to the journal L’Avenir national
Paris, 12th June 1865, 2 p. 1/2  in-8, Librairie Hachette & Cie letterhead

« You have kindly promised me your support, and I commend myself to you »

DEGAS, Edgar (1834-1917)

Autograph letter signed « Degas » to Charles Deschamps
Paris, Friday [mid-1870’s], 3 p. in-8

« You will receive the small painting »

SAND, George (1804-1876)

Autograph letter signed « GS » to Eugène Delacroix
[Paris, c. 1842], 1 p. in-8

« If you can come and dine with us at Mrs. Marliani’s, you will make us all a great pleasure »

CENDRARS, Blaise (1887-1961)

Autograph letter signed « Blaise » to Louis Brun
[Biarritz], 7th January 1933, 2 p. in-4to with envelope

« I’m not writing for an award »

BEAUHARNAIS, Émilie de (1781-1855)

Autograph letter signed “Beauh. De Lavalette” to her cousin Eugène de Beauharnais
S.l, [11] mai [1807], 5 p. in-12

“We were so sad and discouraged by the loss my poor cousin just had that it was impossible for me to have two ideas of my own since the fatal moment”

RENOIR, Pierre-Auguste (1841-1919)

Autograph letter signed “Renoir” to Paul Bérard
Naples, Saturday 26th [November 1881], 3 pages in-12

“I have tried it all, painting with gasoline, wax, siccative…”

PROUST, Marcel (1871-1922)

Original photography by Paul Boyer
Period albumin print (circa 1891). Name card format

Very scarce original photograph of young Marcel Proust

PERET, Benjamin (1899-1959)

Autograph letter signed « Benjamin Peret » to René Alleau
Paris, 12th February 1958, 1 p. in-4

“These failures are inherent to my condition as an independent and revolted intellectual….”

FOUCAULT, Michel (1926-1984)

Autograph letter signed “M Foucault” to Claude Bonnefoy
N.p, 14th December [1965], 1 page 1/4 in-4

“It was a challenge – it seems to me – to talk about Genet after Sartre”

[RIMBAUD] DELAHAYE, Ernest (1853-1930)

Autograph letter signed  “Ernest Delahaye” à Marcel Coulon
Maisons-Laffitte, 8th June 1929, 2 p. in-12, autograph envelope attached

“I will wait « gluttinously », as the man of A Season in Hell would say”

NADAR, Félix Tournachon, dit (1820-1910)

Autograph letter signed “Nadar” to a friend
N.p.n.d [Paris, 1857], 1 p. in-8

“I write to you at the Rabelais”

GIDE, André (1869-1951)

Autograph letter signed “André Gide” to Joseph Billiet
Cuverville, 15th MArch 1919, 2 p. 1/2 in-4

“It is about finding happiness beyond, beyond distress”

BONAPARTE, Caroline (1782-1839)

Autograph letter signed “Caroline” to a Prince
[Naples, 15th May 1813], 2 p. grand in-8

“It is cruel to see the disappearance of the people who for 15 years have been attached to the Emperor and have shared all his memories.”

CHASSERIAU, Théodore (1819-1856)

Autograph letter signed “Thre Chasseriau” to M. Lanthy
Wednesday at noon [14 September 1853], 1 p. in-8 with autograph address

“I am very embarrassed at the moment”

[VERLAINE] KRANTZ, Eugénie (18–/1897)

Autograph letter signed several times “Eugénie Krantz” to Edmond Lepelletier
Paris 29th January [1896], 4 p. in-12

Hospitalized a few days after Verlaine’s death and abandoned by all, Eugénie Krantz calls for desperate help

PROUST, Jeanne WEIL (1849-1905)

[5^th December 1904], original period film print. Round photography (159 mm diameter), mounted on thick paper frame in the photographer’s name.

One of the last portraits of Jeanne Weil Proust, less than a year before her death