Two handwritten letters by Edgar Degas, one with the signature excised, both to London art dealer Charles Deschamps:
ALS in French, signed "E. Degas," one page both sides, 4.25 x 7, no date. Handwritten letter to "Mon cher Deschamps," in part (translated): "At last. At last, it's almost done. We will see by tomorrow if we must sign. If I have not redesigned the faces ten times before. God damn. And what a cruel commitment! I am consumed by a desire to create something new. Our exhibition is coming soon [Impressionist Exhibition from 1876] and I cannot be free to work on what I want. You understand me, don't you. My brother is in Naples instead of me. I was not able to leave Paris, please do not forget to prepare the money so that my family can leave me alone [Following Degas' father bankrupt, leaving many debts to the family]. Can you send me for the 27th or 28th of this month the silhouette of the 'dancer' and the large drawing, please? And when are you coming back?"
Handwritten letter in French, with the signature clipped off (affecting some of the text), 4.25 x 7, no date. Handwritten letter to "Mon cher Deschamps," in part: "Relax, I am working for you, and a lot. If I have not sent you one of the paintings yet, it's because my temper makes me work on both of them at the same time. You will get both together and probably something more. But I would like you to come here every week. I need to be in [cut words]. I have made another variation of the painting, that of the two where there is a cut seat in the foreground, in the size of the painting of the big washerwomen, It's the best one. I've even almost finished the prototype from this one. So you have three on the same pattern. I am only looking to perfect the execution by making it more simple, that is to say as much as possible in the style of a drawing. There will be some for the few buyers you are talking about."
In overall fine condition, with the signature removed (and no longer present) from one of the letters. In the 1870s, Degas was in debt and decided to work for the English market, being compelled to accept commissioned works. He did not feel free to work on what he really wanted to, as he wrote in these letters. Both themes evoked in these letters are typical from Degas' art: dancers and washerwomen.
