Correspondence

 

1. Letter from Marie Laugée to her uncle and aunt, Joachim and Caroline Malézieux.

 

 

Paris, April 4, 1876

 

My dear uncle, my dear aunt,

My wedding is set for next May 15th, and on behalf of Julian and me, and  in the name of the entire family, we request the pleasure of your attendance [at the ceremony]. Our wedding will be quite simple and at dinner there will be absolutely, on the Dupre family’s side as well as on ours, only close relatives. Also, my dear uncle, aunt, we hope to see you there.

 

If you saw my aunt Nininne recently, you certainly know of the success that Julien has achieved with his painting here.. When he arrived here, more than forty people came to see it and everyone has really appreciated it, beginning with the artists who were very pleased. Finally, it was a real success and a complete one since the very day after his return, he was fortunate to find a collector who purchased his picture for 3500 francs. It is Mr. Gallay, a friend of my father, who bought it and he is delighted with his purchase. You can imagine that we’re no less pleased than he is. It is such a great start for a first-year exhibitor. Before yesterday, we learned that the painting received a good placement number of exhibition. We can therefore expect a good place at the Salon now, where surely it will be noticed.

 

I am afraid, my dear uncle,  to bore you by telling you the gifts that I receive, and telling you about clothing, so I warn you in advance that what follows is intended only for ladies to whom I want enumerate all the treats I am overwhelmed with. 1.)  Sunday, Julien gave me a beautiful engagement ring set with a large and beautiful diamond. I find it much too good for me, yet I do accept it. Madame Dupre presents me the wedding dress and the “after the wedding” gown, both in fine cloth of silk, one white and one black. And finally, we have received from friends of Julian a beautiful “fireplace set” in bronze, a dozen small teaspoons, curtains and a quilt top in imitation of lace ; you see I'm just too spoiled and too much gossiping too to tell you all this when I have many more letters to write. So I'll leave you, my dear uncle, my dear aunt, kissing you for myself and the whole family, and asking you to kiss on our behalf all our cousins and our limbins. [“limbins” is a term of endearment used for Marie’s cousins.]

 

Your devoted niece,
Marie Laugée

PS,  Aunt Julie asked in Poiret if you could keep the models. No, we must return them.

 

 

 

2. Letter from Marie Dupré to her cousins, Caroline and Laure

 

Nauroy, August 21, 1876

 

My dear cousins,

 

We are going tomorrow to Quentin. Madame Dupre, Julien and me, together with my aunt and Georges, and we intend to ask you to have lunch with us at noon. I hope, my dear limbins, it will not cause too much trouble and that my aunt will not make any kind of expenses for us. I warn you only so that you are not too scared of such an invasion. So see you tomorrow, my dear limbins, I say no more, because we will see each other tomorrow and will have a nice day together.

I send you our warmest kisses, from me and your cousin Juyen, and we urge you to kiss on our behalf my uncle, my aunt and the cousins.

Madame Dupre sends you thousands of friendly thoughts and urges you to send her best compliments to your parents. Good bye, dear limbins, see you tomorrow, it seems to me that we have not met in a very long time.

Marie Dupré

PS: Did I tell you that Marie Malézieux would probably be coming with us?

 

Note: “Juven” is how the small children pronounce “Julien”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Letter from Julien Dupré to uncle and aunt Joachim and Caroline Malézieux

 

Paris, March 19, 1877

 

Dear uncle and dear aunt,

I am happy  to announce the birth of our daughter Thérèse; she is a beautiful big girl, I assure you. My dear Marie is resting now, but she suffered quite a lot. She asked me to send you her warmest kisses, little Thérèse also sends kisses.

Excuse my very short letter, but I'm a little bit emotional. Convey my kisses to my cousins. Very fondly,

 

Your nephew, Julien Dupré

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Letter from Julien Dupré to Pierre-Joachim Malézieux

 

Nauroy, July 19, 1880

 

My dear uncle,

I have taken the liberty of having a roll of canvas sent from Paris to your home. I would like to ask you to kindly receive it and I will send somebody to pick it up as soon as possible.
  

I have to considerably enlarge the size of the subject I'm painting at the moment, so I had to order new canvas in Paris. I look forward, my dear uncle, to come and thank you at your place and, in the meantime, I send you, my aunt and my cousins, kisses and warm regards.

Julien Dupre

[In the right margin] please, do convey my warmest regards to Albert, but not to Joachim because I sent him a letter this very morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Letter from Julien Dupré to Mr. Ballin,

 

November 7, 1886

 

We are very distressed, my dear Mr. Ballin, to learn that you wife has been seriously ill, but as you [illegible] I hope to have a visit from you soon.

 

As for the small marine painting that you spoke with me about, I cannot work on it at the moment. Please tell the celebrated doctor that I will be very flattered to have his [illegible] well exhibited in April; as for you, a painting that I have taken back and that I hope to keep for another fifteen days. 

 

We send our best wishes to Madame Ballin—I will happily [illegible] you the marine painting.

 

J Dupré

 

 

Note: Although this letter appears to have been written hastily and is thus illegible in several places, it is most likely addressed to Monsieur Ballin. This is probably Auguste Ballin, an etcher who frequently worked with Cadart to produce prints of landscapes and seascapes. In 1886, Cadart published a collection of twenty-five etchings by Ballin showing numerous marine images as well as landscapes of the area around Rouen. For more information, please see Henri Béraldi, Les graveurs du XIXe siècle: guide de l’amateur d’estampes modernes. Tome 1: 86.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Letter to the Secretary General of the Legion of Honor

 

Paris, January 23, 1892

 

Mr. Secretary General,

 

In response to your request, I have the honor of sending you the necessary papers and to designate Mr. Laugée, 19 bis boulevard Lannes, as the member of the Order to whom, if it pleases you, to transmit the required powers [in order] to proceed with my reception.

 

Please receive in advance, sir, my distinguished consideration.

Julien Dupré