i. e. Élisa Rachel Félix, French actress (1821-1858). Autograph letter signed. No place or date. 1 p. on bifolium. 12mo.
650 €
(76366/BN49144)
Agreeing to an unidentified recipient's wish to visit her. Rachel writes that she would be pleased to see the recipient, as she is not rehearsing at the moment. She furthermore regrets that she did not have time to embrace the addressee's mother the previous day: "Oui oui venez si je ne répéte pas j'aurais dumoins la plaisir de vous voir et cela est beaucoup pour moi. J'aurais été embrassé [sic!] votre bonne mère hier mais je vous assure que le temps à [!] manqué a [sic!] votre toutes dévouée [...]".
- Rachel's brilliant and energetic style of acting soon made her famous, and she toured all over Europe. Especially her stage performance in 1841 in London, in honour of the royal family, nourished her fame. In 1852 the Prussian king ordered the erection of a statue depicting Rachel. It was placed on the "Pfaueninsel" in Potsdam on the occasion of a guest performance at the Prussian court that was also attended by the Russian tsar. Rachel never married, but had a lively privat life. She gave birth to two sons: the first, Alexandre Antoine, was born in 1844, fathered by Alexandre Colonna-Walewski, the illegitimate son of Napoléon Bonaparte. He eventually adopted Alexandre Antoine in 1860. As Alexandre Antoine was blessed with numerous descendants, the bloodline of Napoléon survives to the present day. Her second son Gabriel-Victor, born in 1848, was fathered by a grandson of General Henri-Gratien Bertrand. - On stationery monogrammed "R". Traces of old folds. Traces of former mounting on verso..