Sarah BERNHARDT, in love with Brittany, is looking for a home.

Sarah BERNHARDT (1844.1923)

Autographed letter signed to Mr. Baudet [?]

Four pages in-12° on paper with grey border.

Bénodet [August 1892]

“…a beautiful estate with woods, hunting, fishing, the sea and the river…”

Sarah Bernhardt, in love with Brittany, ardently sought a home to buy, despite demanding criteria.

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“Dear Mr. Baudet [?] , I am still looking for a property to buy. I would like an estate by a river not far from the sea; with woods and the possibility of renting or hunting. I would like land where flowers grow. I would like a very large manor house, not too dilapidated, as repairs are too expensive. If I could find that, it would be my dream. But above all, a beautiful estate with woods, hunting, fishing, the sea, and the river. I am here in Bénodet in Finistère for another eight days and would be delighted to visit any place you might suggest. Yours sincerely, Mr. Baudet. Sarah Bernhardt. Grand Hotel. Bénodet. Finistère.”

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Two years later, in August 1894, accompanied by her friend Georges Clairin, Sarah Bernhardt discovered Belle-Île-en-Mer and immediately fell in love with it. In November 1894, she acquired the military fort at Pointe des Poulains, which became her summer retreat until her death. "The first time I saw Belle-Île, I saw it as a haven, a paradise, a refuge. I discovered there, at its windiest point, a fort, a place especially inaccessible, especially uninhabitable, especially uncomfortable, and which, consequently, enchanted me.".