PISSARRO CAMILLE: (1830-1903) French Impressionist painter. A.L.S., C. Pissarro, two ...

PISSARRO CAMILLE: (1830-1903) French Impressionist painter. A.L.S., C. Pissarro, two pages, 8vo, Hotel d'Angleterre, Rouen, 14th September 1898, to his wife ('Ma Chere Julie'), in French. Pissarro writes on family and domestic matters, explaining that he has written to their son, Rodolphe, 'je lui recommende fortement la gymnastique et je lui dis aussi qu'il ne faut pas qu'il s'attarde a Londres' (Translation: 'strongly recommending gymnastics and telling him not to linger in London'), further providing the address of Joseph Lanegin and reminding his wife to ask a carpenter to fix the lock on a case, also making a reference to another of their sons, 'Georges est ici, il a commence une grande toile de la rue de l'epicerie' (Translation: 'Georges is here, he has begun a large painting of the rue de l'epicerie') before concluding by referring to their two youngest children, 'Embrasses Paul et Cocotte, dis a Cocotte que j'ai des cartes postales de Rouen pour elle, je lui enverai cela' (Translation: 'Give my love to Paul and Cocotte, and tell Cocotte that I have some postcards from Rouen for her, and I will send them to her'). Some very light, extremely minor age wear, VG

In 1871 Pissarro had married his mother's maid, Julie Vellay, with whom he had seven children. Six would become painters and the four children referred to in the present letter are Georges Henri Manzana Pissarro (1871-1961), Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro (1878-1952), Jeanne 'Cocotte' Bonin-Pissarro (1881-1948) and Paul-Emile Pissarro (1884-1972).

In his older age Pissarro began painting outdoor scenes while sitting by the window of hotel rooms in French cities including Rouen. It was whilst in this city, situated on the River Seine in the Normandy area of northern France, that Pissarro (as well as his son) painted the Rue de l'Epicerie in 1898.