ALS signed “Nelson + Bronte,” one page, 4.25 x 6.5, April 21, 1803. Nelson writes to an unnamed gentleman. In full: “Will you be here at 1/2 p[as]t 8 or before to breakfast and we may go together and arrive in good time for a snug birth. Ever your faithfully….” Matted and framed with an unsigned nineteenth-century portrait engraving to an overall size of 14.75 x 11. A hint of very mild scattered soiling, otherwise very fine condition. The period during which Nelson wrote this letter was a consequential one in his life and career. A few weeks earlier, on April 6, Nelson mourned the loss of his close friend, Sir William Hamilton, whom he eulogized thus: “The world never lost a more upright or accomplished gentleman.” While the sentiment may have been sincere, Nelson had long enjoyed the intimate affections of Hamilton’s wife, the notorious Lady Emma Hamilton, who bore Nelson’s daughter, Horatia, two years earlier. On May 14, Nelson was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Britain’s naval forces in the Mediterranean; two days later, on May 16, Britain declared war on France. An exceptionally clean, boldly penned, and beautiful example! LOA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
