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a handwritten letter with a picture of an angel on it
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Estimate €1,000 - €1,500
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MERMOZ Jean L.A.S. ‘Mermoz’ and ‘Jean’, Buenos Aires, 27 March 1928, to his ‘Beloved Mum’; 2 pages in-4 and 2 pages in-8 on Aeroposta Argentina letterhead. Development of the Southern Mail Service. ‘Dearest Mum. – You’re going to worry yourself sick again. The thing is, since 1 March, I’ve been completing my mail rounds regularly, and here I am back in the thick of adventure, naturally. A few breakdowns, a few enforced stays in the forest amongst the local indigenous people’, which will cause delays to their letters. ‘These are still only trial mail runs and the time saved isn’t yet significant enough for us to see any benefit. As far as aviation is concerned, we’re making good progress now. But the ‘fast’ avisos!! currently crossing the Atlantic are useless and are causing ever greater delays to the express postal service. We’re in the process of finding another solution. That’s the only thing that’s still going wrong. As far as aviation is concerned, things are really taking off. I’ve taken the controls again and I can assure you I’m really giving it my all! The Director relies entirely on me now… I’m now combining the roles of chief pilot at the airport and mail pilot. I’m absolutely happy now, as I’m flying… I’m well known round here and held in high regard. One of the biggest cafés in Buenos Aires has even launched the ‘Mermoz’ cocktail!” There are ‘plans to purchase a very powerful transatlantic aeroplane, so that I can fly the Buenos Aires–Paris route non-stop if possible, or at the very least Buenos Aires–Natal–Paris. It’s a very serious matter and almost official. But it’s a project which, in any case, wouldn’t come to fruition until later this year, as the aircraft isn’t yet ready. Larre Borges has also invited me to fly with him from Montevideo to Paris in August–September. But the Company doesn’t want to let me go, naturally. There’s so much work to be done on the route. In any case, I still have some bright days ahead of me. The joy of effort guided by will truly enriches life”… The Société d’Encouragement au Progrès awarded me ‘a certificate of recognition with a silver medal for my work in aviation over the past four years. I have also received the Grand Vermeil Medal from the Aéro-Club de France’, and invitations, notably to a ‘Petits Lits Blancs’ gala at the Opera. But ‘these little displays of showmanship hold little appeal for me: pilots are all equal in the face of danger. My greatest pleasure is knowing that I have got where I am without resorting to underhand tactics, solely through my own hard work and by always putting camaraderie before my own petty personal interests. And it’s not over yet’… Then he talks about finances: “I currently have about forty thousand francs here in pesos and on deposit at the Bouilloux-Laffont bank, where I also have my office. I put aside about ten thousand francs a month […] I’ll be able to return to France with a tidy little nest egg after my two years”… He was “tasked by the Company with investigating the accident and its technical causes. […] I am now more or less convinced that we will no longer have to fear accidents of this sort’… He is settling into life in Argentina and improving his Spanish. ‘Life in Buenos Aires is that of a big city. I now know a lot of people there. The women are pretty to look at, but that’s all! I have two French girlfriends who are, naturally, completely disinterested!! […] two lively sorts with whom I never get bored… in short, life is good. […] There isn’t a woman in the world who compares to a Frenchwoman, and I reckon that if I ever get married, it’ll be in France. Although, you know, it might take me a while!?”… Correspondence, no. 136. Enclosed is an illustrated postcard marking the inauguration of the Argentina–Uruguay–Brazil–Africa–Europe Airmail Service, 1 March 1928. Provenance: - Jean Mermoz (1901–1936); - Gabrielle Gillet-Mermoz (1880–1955); - Passed down through the family
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Auction time 11/03/2026 at 11:00 AM
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