Viewing page 34 of 138

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

RS:S

April 19, 1938

Dear Dr. Valentiner:

I am ever so sorry not to have had your visit during your stay in New York, but I realize that you must have been extremely busy.

Three or four days ago I had the visit of one of our mutual friends from Detroit. I cannot write you anything about the conversation we had because nothing definite was said, but as a result I am sending you herewith a photograph of the picture which I was very anxious to show you and which might interest Mr. Edsel Ford.

As you know the series of the milliners is one of the rarest, and this example is, to our knowledge, one of the eight important ones of that series. It belongs to the finest period of Degas, having been executed around 1882. It comes originally from the Manzi collection and was sold at auction at the Manzi sale in Paris in 1896, No. 125 in the catalogue, and was reproduced. This picture is a pastel, and the size is 27" x 27". It was exhibited at the Degas exhibition at the Musee de l'Orangerie in 1937, No. 109. A drawing of the figure of the woman trying on her hat is in the Louvre.

The picture is an exception state of preservation. The photograph naturally does not do any justice to the picture which is very brilliant in color. The lighting effect is of great interest. The light coming from behind is reflected on the nose of the woman who is trying on her hat by a mirror which is not seen on the picture. Her smirk expression, both at the successful way the bow she is knotting

GS

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-09-12 16:26:25