Charles BAUDELAIRE had his drawings seized by his creditors.

Charles Baudelaire (1821.1867)

Autograph letter signed to Léon Gélis.

Two pages in-8° on laid paper with Gélis-Didot & Cie letterhead, Bankers. Paris – May 2, 1861.

On the 4th ^sheet , a ground plan is drawn in graphite.

« Concerning the seizure made at home on my collections of drawings, I will tell you that there are a very large number of them which did not belong to me »

Baudelaire, penniless, had his drawings seized.

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“Dear Sir, Here are the thirty francs which complete the payment Calonne ticket , and which I made the mistake of forgetting. There is a quote tomorrow for the last two posts; 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 deposit any amount with you, 50, 100, 200, etc. The extreme latitude that I request from you is due to the absolute irregularity of my income . – But never a new month will begin without me having paid you a visit, and without having deposited money with you.

Please be kind enough to forward this letter to your bailiff with a note from you. Regarding the seizure made at home on my collections of drawings, I will tell you that there are a very large number of them which did not belong to me and which were simply entrusted to me for literary work . Finally, lastly, I will leave here, until the last moment, all the tickets, and ask you to make an effort to obtain reimbursement of costs and interest from Mr. de Calonne. Baudelaire 22, rue d’Amsterdam. »

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 Alphonse de Calonne was the director of La Revue contemporain , in which Baudelaire published several critical articles. Relatively complacent towards the poet, he sometimes participated in the “shuttles”, these small fraudulent operations set up by Baudelaire and Malassis. The publisher provided the writer with notes of convenience, which passed through the hands of his friends Asselineau, Monselet or even Hetzel, before ending up discounted with various bankers in the capital. Gélis was one of them.