MONET Claude (1840-1926) Lot n° 27

L.A.S. "Claude", London Monday morning [February 26, 1900], to HIS WIFE; 8 pages in-8, Savoy Hotel letterhead (a few marginal red pen marks). Long letter on his life and work in London. He gives news of the health of their son Michel, and hopes that his wife has recovered from the fatigue of her trip to Paris. "Rest assured, you don't have to be jealous and don't see why you have the idea that CLEMENCEAU could drag me into bad company. He and GEFFROY arrived exactly delighted to see me, and naturally very excited about what I'm doing. The time to get dressed went to this dinner, a very chic dinner, it wasn't at Mrs. Asquith's, but at this lady whom Clemenceau had introduced us to and whom we met again at SARGENT's [...] There were many politicians, including one of the present ministers, and I assure you that it was interesting Clemenceau having his frank conversation with them. There was of course Mr. and Mrs. ASQUITH (Margot), an extraordinary man, who is going to send me the authorization to paint in the Tower of London. Sargent had been invited, but could not come, or did not want to because of Clemenceau, it seems, because in the past he wanted to do his portrait and missed it completely"... He's invited to dinner tonight at Mrs. Hunter's... "I'm taking advantage of the very thick fog that keeps me from working to write to you a little longer. My friends are coming to see me [...] They are going to go to the museums [...] This morning at dawn there was an extraordinary fog, completely yellow. I made an impression of it, I think, it's always beautiful, but it's also so changeable that I had to start a lot of paintings of the Waterloo Bridge and the Parliament. I also took back several paintings from the first trip, some not so good ones. It's also here that I'm working the most so far, going to the hospital only at 4pm. Alas the fog won't lift and I'm afraid I'll lose my morning. [...] But there he is, showing his face the sun"...