April 28, 2004
A letter from Honoré Daumier has come to our attention just now. It is signed and undated, most likely Daumier wrote it in the second half of 1832, when he was arrested and sent to prison at Sainte-Pélagie (see Biography section, August 1832). The text reads as follows:
Madame,
je viens d’être arrêté je vous prie de vouloir bien faire savoir à Mr Philippon (sic) je me recommande à mon… obliegeance car je suis dans la position la plus pénible je … au dépôt de la préfecture
honoré Daumier
Si vous pourriez remettre gentiment à …. qui vous remettra cela vous m’obligerez beaucoup.
(Missing parts are illegible. If anybody can help us to decipher the letter entirely, we would be grateful.)
Translation:
Madame,
I have just been arrested and I kindly ask you to inform Mr. Philippon about it, for I am in the most awkward situation of being held at the police.
honoré Daumier.
If you could kindly reply to ….. who is bringing you this message, I would be very obliged.