LEMERCIER. - Lot 98

LEMERCIER. Merchant in Épernay, early 19th century. L.A.S. "Lemercier" addressed to a lady. Épernay, September 16, 1810. 2 pages in-4. Interesting letter evoking a recently successful aerostation experiment, mixed with financial and personal considerations in the context of the First Empire. Lemercier is delighted to learn that "your experiment, which in principle had been delayed, has at last had its full success", a phrase that clearly refers to an enterprise linked to aerostation or aeronautical experiments, a subject then at the heart of the scientific and technical curiosities of the time, a few decades after the first ascents by the Montgolfier brothers. The letter then turns to an unresolved money matter, concerning a gratuity promised by the Marshal Duke of Istria - presumably Marshal Bessières - whose funds were to be forwarded via M. Celerier and Senator Seneje. Lemercier deplores the fact that no payment has yet been made: "we're still hoping", while acknowledging how useful this sum would be to him "at this time". Beyond these material concerns, the letter takes on a very personal and warm tone. The correspondent assures his interlocutor of the constancy of his feelings, and recalls with emotion the services once rendered to her and her husband: "I still feel in my memory and in my heart the pleasure of not having been ungrateful". The postscript, in which his wife addresses "a thousand pleasant things", further reinforces the intimate, friendly character of this correspondence. A rare and interesting testimony to the impact of aerostation experiments in private circles under the Empire, combining scientific innovations, relational networks and financial difficulties. An atmospheric piece on the circulation of scientific ideas in the early 19th century.