Juliette DROUET, in love, grows tired of Victor HUGO's absences. 1844.

Juliette DROUET (1806-1883).

Autograph letter signed to Victor Hugo.

Four pages in-8° on bluish paper.

May 9, Thursday evening [1844]

« In the meantime, I would like to see you and experience a little love... »

A beautiful letter about the commission for a painting from the painter Jean Luthereau (who had married his friend Laure Kraft). Juliette Drouet ends her missive lovingly, weary of the great man's absences.

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"Madame Luthereau is leaving here, my beloved, very sad and very changed because she has been, it seems, very unwell and she still is. She came to tell me that a protégé of Mr. d'Houdetot, the deputy, had obtained in the blink of an eye a painting by Mr. Cailleux, which made her fear that the reasons he gave you [sic] for postponing that of her husband were bad reasons since he granted to Mr. d'Houdetot, without worrying about the king or Montalivet , what he did not grant to you. I reminded her that Mr. d'Houdetot was a deputy , which was a great weight in all these balances, but that I nevertheless thought there was no reason to despair yet. In short, she left, still very unwell, but perhaps a little less sad, I hope.

Another thing, Claire wrote me a letter of impatience and worry about this famous exam […] I have just written it to the poor child so that she can calm down. Besides, I am not angry about it because I was very much dreading this fatal 13th! […] Thank God, it is burned. I hope that the 20th will not play any tricks on us. In the meantime, I would like to see you and live a little love instead of living on dust as I have been doing for the past eight days. You are not happy enough that I love you like a poor damned soul … »