Charles Baudelaire's collection of drawings was seized. 1861.

Charles Baudelaire (1821.1867)

Autographed letter signed to Léon Gélis.

Two octavo pages on laid paper with letterhead of Gélis-Didot & Cie, Bankers.

On the 4th ^sheet , a site plan is drawn in pencil.

Paris – May 2, 1861.

Penniless Baudelaire had his drawings confiscated.

« Regarding the seizure of my drawing collections at my home…

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"Dear Sir, Here are the thirty francs which complete the payment Calonne note , and which I had the mistake of forgetting. There is a summons tomorrow for the last two notes; I will not go, relying on your gracious promise."

You asked me what I definitely wanted to do: I want to come see you at the end of each month and leave any amount of money with you—50, 100, 200, etc. The extreme flexibility I'm requesting from you stems from the complete irregularity of my income . But a new month will never begin without my having visited you and left some money with you.

Please forward this letter to your bailiff with a note from you. Regarding the seizure of my collection of drawings, I must tell you that a great many of them did not belong to me and were simply entrusted to me for a literary project . Finally, I will leave all the notes here until the last moment and ask you to make every effort to obtain reimbursement of the costs and interest from Mr. de Calonne.

Ch. Baudelaire 22, rue d’Amsterdam. »

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Alphonse de Calonne was the editor of La Revue contemporaine , in which Baudelaire published several critical articles. Relatively accommodating towards the poet, he sometimes participated in the "shuttles," those small fraudulent operations set up by Baudelaire and Malassis.

The publisher provided the writer with courtesy notes, which passed through the hands of his friends Asselineau, Monselet or even Hetzel, before ending up being discounted at various bankers in the capital. Gélis was one of them.