MONET (Claude). Autograph letter signed "Claude Monet" [to h - Lot 20

MONET (Claude). Autograph letter signed "Claude Monet" [to his wife Alice Raingo]. Pourville-sur-Mer, "Wednesday evening for Thursday" [1896 or 1897]. 5 pp. in-8, header printed at his address in Giverny. BEAUTIFUL LETTER ON HIS WORK IN THE LANDSCAPES OF THE FALAISES ABROAD POURVILLE-SUR-MER, where he came three times, in 1882, February-April 1896 and January-March 1897. "My dearest, I want to start my letter with you, having written it in a hurry these last two days. But first let me tell you how surprised I was not to hear from you this morning. I don't want to worry, certain that you must have written to me. But I think it would be prudent to notice by whom the letters that do not arrive are put. I am doing quite well in spite of this extremely harsh weather here, and I curse it, this weather, not so much because of the cold, but because the very violent wind is bothering me absolutely. THESE TWO DAYS PASSED, NOT BEING ABLE TO HOLD ON AT ALL TO THE PLACES WHERE I HAD UNDERTAKEN MY MOTIVES, I HAD TO LOOK FOR OTHERS WHERE I COULD BE A LITTLE SHELTERED, AND I HAD TO DO ANYTHING, WHICH I HAD TO ERASE AFTERWARDS. Today I wanted to set up in the wind but it was impossible. AND WITH THIS GREAT VARIATION OF WEATHER, today suddenly the sky became overcast, without the wind calming down. AND THEN I HAVE A TERRIBLE HARD TIME DOING WHAT I WANT, this will not surprise you and I hear you all say that it has always been like this, but I feel a difference. Don't be alarmed either, I FEEL FULL OF COURAGE and I will certainly get something done but I need more time than I had before so I don't want to get involved in too many things or go too far. I regret this week spent in Le Havre because it must have been very beautiful here at this same time. I Wrote BEFORE YESTERDAY TO THE LITTLE [JULIE] MANET AND TO [EDGAR] DEGAS and I am waiting for their answers to know when I will leave for Paris. I will go, as we said, directly, if I am sure to find you there, that is to say that I only want you to go if you really feel well. Here we are, my poor darling, at a time when we absolutely must be careful and take care of ourselves, if not for ourselves, at least for all our children. Finally, I hope, tomorrow, to have perhaps two letters which will give me good news of you and of all in Giverny as well as in Paris. I WAS FURIOUS YESTERDAY EVENING OF THE THAULOW'S COMING AT PARALLEL TIME for I had many letters to do. They invited themselves to dinner with all sorts of excuses, claiming that they didn't want to come because they were afraid of embarrassing me, and inviting me to come and ask them for dinner whenever I wanted. These are guys that you need to know more to judge them, she is pure Norwegian, drinking, smoking, very free, good without being pretty, but seeming indeed more intelligent than her husband. I am delighted to have brought butter, it seems better here. The Thaulows, by the way, have made a dent in it. [The Norwegian impressionist painter Frits Thaulow was staying with his wife and children in Dieppe, not far from Pourville. It was he who, in 1890, had convinced Claude Monet to participate in the Autumn Exhibition in Christiania (Oslo), which led to the purchase of one of his paintings by the Norwegian National Museum of Fine Arts]. Mme Eugène [in Claude Monet's service] is, I believe, making every effort to keep me happy, and, this time, it can go, I have fish and shrimp at every meal; with that, I have nothing to complain about, and I will finally be happy if this struggle leads to work, if [ceases] this damn wind that materially prevents me from working where I want. Finally, this setback cannot last, and the wind can change. It is true that rain would not be much better. Finally, don't worry about me, I am careful, I cover myself from head to toe and I don't notice the cold, which must be intense, because there is no thermometer here. Think to inform me of what the children must do, who must come, etc. I kiss them all very much and send you all my tenderness and all my heart. Your husband who loves you..."