COLETTE (1873–1954). Autograph letter signed “Colette de Jou - Lot 337

Lot n° 337
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Estimation :
600 - 800 EUR
COLETTE (1873–1954). Autograph letter signed “Colette de Jou - Lot 337
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 8-year-old “Bel-Gazou,” whom she was unable to visit at Christmas in Corrèze, as she was entirely absorbed in running *Le Matin*; she mentions her panther, Bâ-Tou. The letter appears to be unpublished (it does not appear in *Letters to Her Daughter*). “My darling, I spent Christmas feeling a little under the weather […] I’d had too much work to do, and without any help, and that led to burnout. Germaine Beaumont is still unwell”… She hopes, though she’s not sure, to go see her on December 31: “You must have had a very 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’s sending her a pretty necklace: “Try not to lose it—it’s not glass, but a natural stone that comes from very far away”; she asks that the nurse, Miss Draper, write to her… “There’s 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 incredibly strong—brutal, but not mean. I have no more scratches on my arms and hands than I would from a skittish cat. She roams freely in the house, but will I be able to keep her? It might not be prudent, and your dad wouldn’t be happy. She purrs like a motor, plays with a ball, and this morning she took my head between her paws and licked my hair, pulling out quite a few strands in the process. You’d think she was 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 since he’s probably not there”… She signs, “Your mom who loves you, Colette de Jouvenel.” Enclosed is a photograph (postcard size, slight traces of pasting) of Colette at her desk, with “L.A.S.” to Claude Farrère on the back: “What if I want to write back to you, for heaven’s sake! […] At least know where I’m spending my life now, near 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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