Raffaëlli, Jean François, 1850-1924. Jean François Raffaëlli papers, 1870-1929.
Title:
Jean François Raffaëlli papers, 1870-1929.
The collection comprises 220 items, including 96 letters sent (1883-1916), 17 letters received (ca. 1883-1919), and 16 manuscripts (1886-1918). Personal documents include eight pages that list Raffaëlli's art work with titles and prices, and 34 documents regarding his copyright account (1920-1922) and insurance policies (1876-1920). The printed materials comprise 52 items, which include a Raffaëlli original print [1907?]; 11 reproductions of his paintings and drawings (1885-1897); five portraits of Raffaëlli, including three studio photographs (1870, 1895, 1902), a magazine photograph (1910?), and a lithograph by A. Villette; 25 clippings about the artist, his work and obituaries (1884-1929). One of the seven items in a miscellanea group is a commemorative banquet menu with a drypoint cover by Gaston de Latenay. The publication series comprises seven items, including auction and exhibition catalogs. Series I. The 71 letters sent to identified persons include two groups of letters to friends who helped Raffaëlli to publish his works in foreign magazines: Theodore Child, his liaison at the New York Harper's New Monthly Magazine (9 letters, 1887); and Gabriel Mourey, his liaison at the London art magazine The Studio (17 letters, 1898-1908). Other important correspondents include Georges Petit, who sold Raffaëlli's works in his gallery (5 letters, ca. 1884-1894); Léon Hennique, who wrote a text for Raffaëlli's book "Les types de Paris," and whom he congratulates for his excellent novel (6 letters, ca. 1883-1888); Clément Janin (7 letters, 1899-1915); and Emile van Marcke, whom he keeps informed about the scandal regarding a fake replica sold by Knoedler & Co. in New York (n.d.) Among the 25 letters sent to unidentified persons, one written in English on Hotel Martin, N.Y. letterhead is most interesting. It contains, in a condensed style, information about his present and previous trips to the U.S., followed by all the activities he has planned for his stay in New York, including the sights he intends to paint [Jan. 1899]. Among the 17 letters received, the most important are the five letters from Gustave Geffroy, about his portrait by Raffaëlli, their long friendship, and his book about Clemenceau (ca. 1910-1919); a letter from Edmond de Goncourt, accepting a 15-day sitting for a full-size portrait (1888); and letters from Claude Monet, Joris-Karl Huysmans, Robert de Montesquiou, and Jean Richepin. Series II. The manuscripts include 16 items, of which 6 are fragmentary texts; most have no titles. Three signed manuscripts were addressed to Georges Montorgeuil at the newspaper Eclair: two are predictions of the German defeat (1915, 1916), and the third is a nostalgic reminiscing about the Paris fortifications soon to be demolished (1918). Fragmentary texts are about the politics of hatred between France and Germany [1899], the history of the ruling classes in France, the effect of machines in future society, and the "Chinese danger." A sharp criticism of the Salon des Champs Elysées was mailed to the Grand journal (1896). The literary essays include one about a visit to a madhouse, and "Le chemineau aux étoiles," a poetical vision of Rafaëlli's familiar character, the tramp. A 12-page manuscript "Les petites marchandes des rues," signed by Henry Gréville, was written for Raffaëlli's illustrated book "Les types de Paris" (1888). Series III. Of special interest are the lists of Raffaëlli's art works, including titles and prices (8 p.). Series IV. The 49 items of printed materials include a rare copy of the print "Le cheval dans la plaine" made for an article of Ajalbert; a full-size lithograph portrait of Raffaëlli by A. Villette; the reproduction of a wood engraved bust of the artist, with 6 verses and a small profile in ink added below, signed; and a photograph of Raffaëlli seated, with palette and brush in hands, which he copied in his drypoint self-portrait of 1895. Series V. The seven publications include a small catalog of Raffaëlli's exhibition in New York, which reproduces his portrait by E.A. Abbey, dated Feb. 1895, followed by a 4-page manuscript of the artist in facsimile; and the auction catalog of Raffaëlli's estate sold at Drouot in 1924, after the artist's death.
ArchivalResource:
220 items.
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/78400235 View
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