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several old letters are stacked on top of each other on a white surface
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487 - Georges LEYGUES (1857–1933), politician and minister.
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Estimate €400 - €500
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Description
Georges LEYGUES (1857–1933), politician and minister. 9 letters from the author, 1918–1924 and undated, to his wife Anne; 31 pages in various formats, on letterheads from the Chamber of Deputies (4), the Ministry of the Navy and the Grand Hôtel de Capvern-les-Bains (3). Leygues informs his wife [née Marie-Anne Desclaux (1857–1951)] of events during the First World War in a very interesting six-page letter dated 12 June 1918. ‘Our troops launched a counter-attack yesterday along a 12-kilometre front […]. This is a highly significant success. It has enabled us to drive Von Hutier’s soldiers out of the plain they had managed to occupy. […] The Germans are showing signs of hesitation and disarray. They have called upon divisions from the army of the Crown Prince of Bavaria to fill the enormous gaps that our machine-guns and guns have torn in their ranks. […] Whilst we are halting their advance, the Americans are arriving in droves. There are nearly 800,000 of them in France. In two months’ time there will be 1,200,000. The outcome of the war will be decided’... He also alludes to the disciplinary measures taken by Clemenceau following the Battle of the Chemin des Dames: ‘Clemenceau has taken disciplinary measures. I have done everything in my power to press for action against the generals who lacked foresight or vigour in the Chemin des Dames affair. Major-General Anthoine of the General Headquarters has been relieved of his duties. General Duchêne has been demoted. Generals de Maud’huy, Corvisart and Chrétien have been suspended. ‘I would have gone further with Duchêne’… The rest of the correspondence is more personal. Leygues mentions his family, his health, his search for a flat, and a ring he recently gave to his wife: ‘It is a rare and precious piece of jewellery that I wanted for you. […] You know full well that the story of our lives is like a tale from the Thousand and One Nights’… Enclosed is a collection of 20 letters (+ 2 telegrams) addressed to Georges Leygues. Marie Frédéric Mistral (regarding the monument in honour of Mistral). – Pol Neveux, 6 long letters (+ 2 telegrams) to his ‘dear boss and friend’, a fine example of friendly correspondence. – Alexandre Millerand, a short note following his defeat in the January 1927 Senate elections. – Louis Barthou, a long letter in his capacity as Minister of Justice (1929), concerning the former prison at Villeneuve-sur-Lot. – Martial Sicard (3 letters, 1913–1917). – Georges Tholin (1912, on the history of Villeneuve-sur-Lot). – Charles Cottet. – Jean Pelissier (a long letter requesting Leygues’ support for a pro-French propaganda project in the Balkans, 1915). – Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola (on his watercolour exhibition). Etc.
See original version (French)
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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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