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5 East 57th Street
New York 22, N.Y.

July 2, 1947

Dear Germain:

I was called yesterday by Mortimer Brandt who wanted to show me some paintings. His first statement was "I am getting out of old paintings. They are as difficult to sell as to pull out a tooth. I have bought recently a group of drawings and immediately I sold a PISSARRO and (another one). The PISSARRO I sold to a client that you know, Mrs. Hyde, etc."

He showed me a peinture l'essence on brown cardboard by TOULOUSE LAUTREC, a kneeling woman seen from the back. She does not wear a stitch. 40 x 30 cm. The board, as so often, is very empty and very brown. He said he was asking $4,700.- for it.

Secondly, he showed me a superb LA FRESNAYE gouache, 35 x 20 cm., 1922 of the same type as the Palefreniers: the head of a young man, full face, with hand uplifted; in the background the head and shoulder of another young man seen from the back. The price he would ask would be between $1,400.- and $1,700.- .

He showed me, besides, a small uninteresting RENOIR, REDON, a charming CASSATT drawing.

He is learning for the Middlewest for a few days and is later closing his gallery. I told him that upon your return you would get in touch with him. He said that by then he might not be as enthusiastic and bullish on his prices and might be easier to handle..

I saw Mrs. Storey this morning, who showed me her FANTIN LATOUR. I recognized the portrait we had seen several years ago at Mich's, that is, the portrait of Madame Couture, dated 1858, when FANTIN LATOUR was 18 years old. It is oval, pleasant, sentimental, not as plastic as I would like. She took it back from Millicent, had it cleaned and it is much better than it was at Mich's. It cost her $2,500.- and she will want to sell it for $6,500.-. Should we be interested in having the painting on consignment, we would share the profits. She told me that she had had the visit of a lady from Texas, a Mrs. McLean, who also resides in New York. That lady is looking for paintings, probably BRAQUE, PICASSO, etc. I told her that in my absence in September, she should go to you in order to take paintings on consignment.

[left margin] on consignment, at that time

Chailloux came to see the commode. He does not want it on consignment because he has one and this one is so much darker than the one he has. The commode he has on consignment from the firm, he thinks, is not any more in a good enough condition and he would be of the opinion that we have it restored. As he went into the reserve where the commode stands, he saw the various works of art of the 18th century which are there and he expressed the willingness to take most of them on consignment provided their prices would not be too high. His attention was mainly attracted by the Locre vases and the two console tables. He said "I had these console tables on consignment for quite a while during the time you were. moving and business had come to a complete standstill. You took them away from me at the time that business was picking up and you haven't sold them. If their prices are not too high now, I would be glad to have them ack".

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