"Je suis bien ennuyé d'être boiteux du pied gauche maintenant que le droit est guéri"
Autograph letter signed.
8vo. 4 pp. on bifolium. In ink.
€ 8.500,00
Rare letter from the twelve-year-old Henri to his maternal grandmother Louise Tapié de Celeyran, whom he calls "bonne maman", concerning his physical sufferings. After his right foot has healed, he writes, his left foot is now lame, but he is to undergo treatment with an electric brush which helped his uncle Charles: "Je suis plus libre ces jours-ci parce que Maman m'a retiré de chez mon professeur pour me faire suivre le traitement de la brosse électrique qui a jadis guéri mon oncle Charles. Je suis bien ennuyé d'être boiteux du pied gauche maintenant que le droit est guéri [...]". He still hopes that he will be able to go on a trip to the Pyrenees that same year: "[...] Comme dit le docteur Raymond; je me trouve deja mieux. Nous irons certainement aux eaux des Pyrénées cette année ci, n'y viendrez-vous pas avec nous? [...]". Further, Toulouse-Lautrec mentions everyday events and his family members: "[...] Mon oncle Charles nous a quitté avant-hier et je le regrette beaucoup. Papa est encore ici [...]".
Highly interesting letter in excellent condition, providing details on the earliest signs of Toulouse-Lautrec's disability, when it was discovered that he suffered from a rare bone disease, likely congenital. When Toulouse-Lautrec subsequently broke both his legs in quick succession at the age of 13 and 14, the ailment would cause the fractures to heal poorly, and his legs ceased to grow, resulting in an adult size of merely 5 ft, or 1.52 m.
