TOULOUSE-LAUTREC HENRI DE: (1864-1901) ‘I divide my leisure time between painting and toothache, an inexhaustible ...

TOULOUSE-LAUTREC HENRI DE: (1864-1901) ‘I divide my leisure time between painting and toothache, an inexhaustible source of varied pleasures’

TOULOUSE-LAUTREC HENRI DE: (1864-1901) French painter and illustrator. A.L.S., Henri, four pages, 8vo, Le Bosc, 15^th March n.y. (c.1880), to his grandmother, Louise d’Imbert du Bosc (‘Bien chere Bonne maman’), in French. Toulouse-Lautrec writes a charming and playful letter to his devoted grandmother, wishing her a good and happy St. Louise’s Day with ‘mon rouleau de compliments dans les bras..... Je vous la souhaite donc de mon mieux!!!’ (Translation: ‘my roll of compliments in my arms…..So I wish you the best!!!;) and adding ‘Voila qui est fait. Assez maladroitement peut-etre mais la grace n'etant pas mon caractere distinctif j'espere obtenir non des remerciements mais mon pardon’ (Translation: ‘That’s done. Quite clumsily perhaps, but grace not being my distinctive character, I hope to obtain not thanks but my forgiveness’). Toulouse-Lautrec continues to inform his grandmother of family matters, ‘Peut-etre ne seriez-vous pas faches de savoir comment nous vivotons ici dans les brumes ou plutot la bouillaque de l'Aveyron. Car il pleut dru. Je vous assure ca degute pas (expression choisie qui denote de ma part une profonde etude de la langue verte). Bonne maman....Que fait-elle bonne maman? Elle met des rideaux et sent les nuages qui passent alternativement. Tante Emilie pique lesdits rideaux a la machine. Oncle Amedee massacre tout ce qu'il peut et oncle Charles cherche des excuses (o raffinement de diplomatie) a sa paresse ...... et moi je divise mes loisirs entre la peinture et le mal aux dents, source inepuisable de jouissances variees’ (Translation: ‘Perhaps you would not be angry to know how we live here in the mists or rather the bouillaque of Aveyron. Because it is raining heavily. I assure you it doesn’t disgust (chosen expression which denotes a deep study of the green language on my part). Good mother….what is she doing, good mother? She puts on curtains and smells the clouds passing by alternately. Aunt Emilie sews said curtains by machine. Uncle Amedee massacres everything he can and Uncle Charles looks for excuses (or refinement of diplomacy) for his laziness…..and I divide my leisure time between painting and toothache, an inexhaustible source of varied pleasures’). VG

Louise d’Imbert du Bosc (1815-1905) Grandmother (and Godmother) of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.