Viewing page 6 of 10

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

May 25th, 1942

My dear Mr. Burke

Allow me to acknowledge receipt of your kind lines of May 22nd pertaining to your collection of paintings.

Of course, I can readily understand your reaction and decision not to do anything with the paintings for the time being after my outlining the situation as far as your collection itself is concerned, knowing practically nothing about it.

I understand from your son Steve that amongst others you own a fine Corot. For such a master, for instance, there might even now be a market, and I would very much like to have a photograph, as complete data as possible and a price quotation on it. In fact, I would very much like to have a complete list and descriptions of all your paintings to enable me to get a general idea, after which I could advise you much better. The art business, as you may know, is subject to spontaneous and unexpected demands and deals, and while this present time should be for all reasons a bad moment for selling paintings, one can never tell and an opportunity may come up very suddenly, and then it would be good to have your collection, with details, on file.

I should be extremely sorry if my lines of the other day gave you the impression of lack of interest or to forget the matter altogether. I only wanted to point out to you the difficulties you and I are confronted with in times like these in order to consummate a satisfactory deal. I think I need not tell you that our business has suffered terrible set-backs in the last few years, yet individual sales are still being made. In your case, however, and from the information I had received from your son Steve as to the type of your collection, I thought it perhaps more advisable to wait a while with disposing of the Barbizon School paintings - until the art market is more active again.

In the meanwhile--
Yours very sincerely,
(R. H. Waegen)

Edmund Stevenson Burke, Jr., Esq.
Union Commerce Building
Cleveland, Ohio

[[initials of secretary Therese Parker]]