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Home / Historical / 2016 April 5 Historical Manuscripts Grand Format Auction - New York Auction #6154 / Lot #49144
    LOT #49144  | 
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    Joséphine de Beauharnais [Bonaparte] Letter Signed "Josephine." ...

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    • Autographs:Non-American, Joséphine de Beauharnais [Bonaparte] Letter Signed "Josephine." ...
    • Autographs:Non-American, Joséphine de Beauharnais [Bonaparte] Letter Signed "Josephine." ...
    Autographs:Non-American, Joséphine de Beauharnais [Bonaparte] Letter Signed "Josephine." ... Autographs:Non-American, Joséphine de Beauharnais [Bonaparte] Letter Signed "Josephine." ... View More >
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    Description

    Joséphine de Beauharnais [Bonaparte] Letter Signed "Josephine." One page, 7.25" x 7.125, in French, at the Château de Malmaison, December 18, 1812, to the Minister for Manufacturing and Trade. Translation, in full:

    "I recommend to your kind attention Mr. Dubuc, whose memorandum relative to the colonists you were good enough to send to the Emperor. He would like to present some comments about this me­morandum to you, and I would be delighted if you were able to grant him a brief hearing. May I take advantage of this occasion to renew to you the assurance of the attachment which you know I have for you. [Note in the hand of the Minister] Make it for Thursday, the 31st of December, at noon."

    Josephine de Beauharnais (1763-1814), first Empress of the French, was the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. Her first husband, Alexandre, was a general during the French Revolution and was executed during the Reign of Terror. She was imprisoned in the Carmes prison, but was released five days after Alexandre's execution. In 1796, she married Napoleon, but the two had no children together. The couple divorced in 1810 so that Napoleon could produce an heir, but Josephine remained on good terms with the emperor until she died of pneumonia in 1814.

    Condition: Scattered light foxing, one tiny hole from ink burn-through. Expertly laid into an 8.25" x 11" sheet with a minor tear at top affecting nothing.

    Auction Info

    Auction Dates
    April, 2016
    5th Tuesday
    Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 1
    Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
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