Lot n° 33
Estimation :
2500 - 3000
EUR
Result with fees
Result
: 3 328EUR
Théophile Alexandre STEINLEN (1859-1923).... - Lot 33 - Ader
Théophile Alexandre STEINLEN (1859-1923). 14 L.A.S. "Alex." or "Théoph. Alex.", Paris 1884-1899, to his wife Émilie (and to their daughter Colette, one incomplete); 39 pages in-8, 7 envelopes and 2 addresses.
Beautiful correspondence to his wife, talking about his work.
In 1881, Steinlen left Mulhouse with Émilie Mey to settle in Montmartre. In 1888 they had a daughter, Renée Germaine dite Colette, and married in 1895. The letters are addressed to Émilie during her stays in the country or at the sea with their daughter; Steinlen keeps her informed of his activities and of the income or difficulties of money.
21 April 1884. He could not come to see her because he had "a drawing to do in a hurry. Tonight I will do the one for the Chat Noir; tomorrow I have an appointment at six o'clock for a newspaper"... Wednesday noon [1890]. "I spent the night to finish the drawings for Hachette"; he has to do 4 menus for Stern; he sleeps up... August 13, 1892. He is late for his poster, and has received stamped paper: "in spite of the scratch I had made on Hachette, I remained penniless"... Wednesday [14 September 1892]. He talks about his money worries and tries to make do by "hardly going out and spending only the bare necessities on myself. I have not done anything productive since your departure, I have to work on Bruant's book which is progressing painfully"; he evokes the cholera in Paris which "makes especially victims in the miserable part of the people, among the ragpickers especially"...
1897. Saturday [August 23]. Complains about not having any letters and works: "Everything is more or less fixed since yesterday for the Zola poster. It is a very big piece which must be ready at the end of the month. [...] about the poster, this morning I went to see Fasquelle to whom I asked for the series of Zola's novels, twenty-two volumes that I brought and for which I will give him a small souvenir"... August 27. "I am writing to Zola to ask him for a meeting." September 3, 1897, to Colette, whom he thanks for the sweets and drawings she has sent him, and to whom he tells of his visit to Zola's house, "in the superb countryside he has in Médan. [...] we took the railway at the St Lazare station and stopped at the station before Vernouillet which is called Villennes (but the name is not very well given because it is very pretty) at the station Mr Zola had sent me the carriage [...] which led me to his property by ravishing paths; there Mr Zola waited for me in front of the door and he was quite kind to me. His wife is also simple and charming. The three of us had lunch alone. It was charming and very interesting. We will certainly see the Zolas when they return to Paris. [September?, the beginning is missing], about the Zola poster for which he is very annoyed: "I was about to begin definitively, the large canvas I had ordered to make it had arrived, when yesterday morning I received a dispatch from Mr. Letellier telling me to come to the Journal in the evening [...] They don't want to hear any more about a very large poster. It is a rather small one that they want [...] I have to do something completely different from what I had thought and worked on. In short, everything has to be done over again. It's very annoying because you lose a lot of time and you don't get paid for it. They don't want me to ask for more than a thousand francs. Finally!"... Thursday [September 6]. "I spent Monday, Tuesday and half of yesterday doing the Boutigny poster - always longer than one thinks these damn machines. It is true that I damaged my first stone while trying to touch it up and that I was obliged to redo it. [...] Saw yesterday some Americans, a big company with which I believe there will be serious business in the future. It was only yesterday to start talks, nothing sold"...
Friday [1899]. It is cold in his studio; he exercises and rubs himself with a horsehair glove: "I have never been more vigorous and better. He was supposed to have dinner at the Astruc's and to meet Félicia Mallet at their house "for whom I must make a drawing", but having forgotten to take the address, he wandered around boulevard de Courcelles without finding the house and finally returned... Sunday. Sagot "would be willing to buy me about ten drawings for which he would pay 100 francs each"; he would like his wife's opinion; he will make a choice and will remove "from the stock the drawings that I do not want to give at the price he wants to put on them"... Thursday. He is overwhelmed, he has to give drawings to Gil Blas, to Zo d'Axa and to the Petit Bleu; it is a scorching heat, the studio is invaded by fleas and Paris has emptied itself...
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