ALS in French, signed “Your affectionate husband, C. Pissarro,” four pages on two adjoining sheets, 4 x 6.25, October 25, 1896. Long letter to his wife, Julie Vellay, written from the Hotel d'Angleterre in Rouen, in part (translated): "Here is a letter from Lucien where you will see how difficult it is to have poor Georges listen to reason, he sees only the bad side of things, doesn't he imagine that Lucien put a spoke in his wheels so that they wouldn't turn as they may…One racks one's brain to find them a possible place; they think it's so that we may get rid of them; no, they have not changed. You are right, Menton is in France, but the guys will choose the place that is most convenient to them, I'm all for it. Except Morocco does not suit me very well. It is too far and should we need to we would not be able to travel there and then I know that it is a difficult place because of how wild things are there, a good country to travel to and back, but to stay there would be absurd. I will write again to Dario. I hope to be done here around the first days in Nov., as soon as possible because I am running low in cash. Unfortunately I have a cold right now and cannot work, I hope it will pass quickly, I am taking the medications I need. I was planning on going to see Depeaux today…but a nasty wind is keeping me back in my room.
Lucien sent me a letter from Georges' doctor in which he says that, indeed…it was the 3rd compound he prescribed at the beginning of his sore throat that must have caused the ulcers in his mouth, but that things were better, that he had advised Georges to go to Eppiny which is drier than Keno, that he thought it was not necessary to leave England, that Bournemouth or the island of White would be just fine. This is nothing more, in short, than an opinion; the kids thought that we wanted to prevent them from going to Spain. I don't mind Spain if it's convenient. In brief, the illness is stopped and you must have seen in L. Simon's letter that he was nor worried about it. I don't have enough money to pay FF80 to L. Simon. It will have to wait for my return. You must have received 500 from Durand. The doctor in London says that the boys will be able to leave in a couple of weeks, because as you know one should not catch a cold when being treated with Mere, Sol or Bella. Here is Lucien's letter." He adds a brief postscript: "Could you send me a shawl or a blanket for the trip, it's beginning to be cold." In fine condition.
The remarkable letter boasts several significant artistic associations: it is written from Rouen, a favorite city and subject of the Impressionists; it discusses his two artist sons, Lucien and Georges, at length; it mentions Francois Depeaux, a noted collector of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists; and it makes reference to the famous art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, who popularized Impressionism internationally. A superb, neatly penned letter from the renowned artist.
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