COUTIL (Léon Marie) - Lot 52

Lot 52
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100 - 120 EUR
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COUTIL (Léon Marie) - Lot 52
COUTIL (Léon Marie) Villiers-en-Vexin, 1856 - 1935. Norman engraver, archaeologist and scholar. Founder of the Commission des antiquités du département de l'Eure and the Société normande d'études préhistoriques. L.A.S. to an unidentified correspondent, Saint-Pierre-du-Vauvray (Eure), July 28, 1912, 2 pp. ½ in-8. Interesting autograph letter signed by Léon Coutil, a major figure in Norman archaeology at the turn of the XXᵉ century, blending historical research, pioneering aeronautics and regional erudition. In this long, lively letter, Coutil thanks his correspondent for sending a notice devoted to Dom Gourdin and aerostats, enriched by an autograph dispatch, completing his documentation on Blanchard, whom he describes as "my compatriot". The most interesting passage concerns the first aeronautical experiments in Rouen: "a vignette representing Blanchard's experiment in Rouen". He talks about the difficulties encountered in finding this image, his dealings with collectors and printers, and its use at aviation festivals. The letter then moves on to his scholarly activities, notably around the inauguration of a monument at Petit-Andely, with a particularly tasty quip: "horrible monument, in parenthesis" Finally, Coutil announces his forthcoming scientific travels, including: a conference in Angoulême a visit to the Vézère prehistoric sites An excellent account of the network of provincial scholars, learned societies and the early history of aeronautics. Beautiful handwriting, well legible, complete document.
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