CHAMPFLEURY (Jules Husson, dit) (1821-1889) - Lot 299

CHAMPFLEURY (Jules Husson, dit) (1821-1889) Novelist, art critic, historian of caricature, advocate of realism and close associate of Courbet. L.A.S. "Champfleury", July 15, 1868, 2 pp. in-8 on monogrammed paper. Interesting autograph letter to his "dear master", written at a time when Champfleury was deeply involved in the intellectual and institutional debates that accompanied the creation and organization of learned societies devoted to popular studies and national traditions. The writer announces his imminent departure, and is keen to set out a number of reflections on the future of the Société des traditions populaires, the establishment of which seems at the time to be giving rise to discussion and disagreement: "I don't want to leave without telling you with what emotion I read your letter about cryptography." He wondered about the future organization of the society, the relationship between scholars, folklorists and administrators, and how to give the institution a truly scientific and lasting foundation. The letter bears witness to his personal investment in this project, to which he attached great importance. Champfleury also mentions various material and administrative difficulties that are delaying certain editorial work and publication projects. He insists on the need to continue the work undertaken despite the obstacles encountered: "We work and we do not forget what was promised..." The set is a revealing testimony to Champfleury's intellectual activity in the final years of his career, when he gradually moved away from the novel to devote himself to the history of popular mores, caricature and folklore. Fine autograph signature by Champfleury. Commentary Letters relating to Champfleury's folkloric and ethnographic work are particularly sought-after, as they illustrate a lesser-known but essential facet of his work. A precursor of studies on popular traditions, he played an active part in the formation of scholarly networks that prefigured French ethnography in the late XIXᵉ century. This letter thus presents a dual interest, literary and historical, by documenting the concerns of a major writer committed to structuring the nascent human sciences. Status Good condition. Usual folds. Paper slightly yellowed. Very well preserved.