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a close up of a piece of paper with handwriting on it
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337 - COLETTE (1873–1954). Autograph letter signed ‘Colette de Jou…
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Estimate €600 - €800
Sale commission
Description
COLETTE (1873–1954). Autograph letter signed ‘Colette de Jouvenel’, [late December 1921], to her daughter Colette de Jouvenel; 4 oblong in-4 pages on Le Matin letterhead (slight tears at the folds). A lovely letter to her little ‘Bel-Gazou’, aged 8, whom she was unable to visit at Christmas in Corrèze, as she was entirely absorbed by running *Le Matin*; she mentions her panther, Bâ-Tou. The letter appears to be unpublished (it does not appear in *Lettres à sa fille*). ‘My darling, I spent my Christmas feeling a bit unwell […] I’d had too much work to do, and without any help, and that left me burnt out. Germaine Beaumont is still unwell’… She hopes, though she is not certain, to go and see her on 31 December: “You must have had a lovely Christmas. I know we’d made some interesting preparations. If you want to make me happy, you’ll write me a long letter telling me all about your Christmas.” She is sending her a lovely necklace: “try not to lose it; it’s not glass, but a natural stone, which comes from far away”; she asks that the nanny, Miss Draper, write to her… “There is a very strange and very beautiful creature in my house; it’s a little panther from Chad that Philippe Berthelot gave me. Yellow (excessively yellow!) and marked with black spots, she’s as big as a hunting dog, and terribly strong, brutal, but not vicious. I have no more scratches on my arms and hands than I would from a skittish cat. She roams freely about the house, but will I be able to keep her? It might not be wise, and your dad wouldn’t be pleased. She purrs like an engine, she plays with a ball, and this morning she took my head between her paws and washed my hair with her tongue, pulling out quite a lot of it in the process. You’d find her quite pretty; her name is Bâa-Tou’… She sends her love with all her heart, and will soon be at Castel-Novel: ‘I won’t ask you to do anything for Dad, as he’s probably not there’… She signs, ‘Your mum who loves you, Colette de Jouvenel’. Enclosed is a photograph (postcard size, with slight traces of gluing) of Colette at her desk, with an autograph on the reverse addressed to Claude Farrère. : “And what if I want to reply to you myself! […] At least know where I’m spending my life now, by this open window. This photo is recent, but the photographer’s kindness has smoothed out a few wrinkles. I send you my love, dear Claude, with all my heart.”
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About the sale Letters and Autograph Manuscripts – Part II
Auction location
Auction time 10/14/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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