A trip to see his daughter. 1874

Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (1818-1883)
A trip to see his daughter. 1874
Autograph letter signed ('Iv. Tourguéneff') to an unidentified recipient ('Madame'), 48 rue de Douai, [Paris], 6 January 1874.

In French. One page, 208 x 126mm, on paper with embossed initials 'IT'. Provenance: RR Auction, 7 Dec 2017, lot 442.

A trip to see his daughter. Turgenev regrets not being able to accept the recipient's invitation, as 'on Friday I am in the country, at my daughter's, five hours by train from Paris', and he will not be back before Tuesday, so 'If you do not see me turn up on Monday evening, pray excuse me and believe that I could not have done otherwise'.

Turgenev's illegitimate daughter Paulinette (1843-1919) had been married to one Gaston Bruère at the age of 17, but the marriage was not a success, and with Turgenev's assistance she escaped to live in Solothurn (Switzerland). Her whereabouts where scrupulously hidden from her husband, and Turgenev's vaguess about his destination in the present letter is probably deliberate.

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.