CHARTON (Édouard) (1807-1890) - Lot 306

CHARTON (Édouard) (1807-1890) French journalist, publisher, historian and politician. Founder of the Magasin pittoresque, creator of the Bibliothèque des merveilles, member of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques, irremovable senator of the Third Republic. Autograph bill signed "Edouard Charton", s.l., Tuesday February 14, 1865 (handwritten date), 1 page in-8. Charming courtesy bill addressed to a young correspondent. Charton simply arranges a meeting: "Wednesday in eight, the day that smiles on me the most, being the closest." and ends with a particularly amiable formula: "I thank you and send my affectionate greetings to all your family." The letter is signed: "with respect, Edouard Charton". This brief missive bears witness to the affable, family-oriented character of Édouard Charton, a leading figure in popular publishing and the dissemination of knowledge in the 19th century. Founder of the Magasin pittoresque in 1833, he devoted his life to the intellectual education of the general public, and played a major role in the development of popularized history, geography and science in France. Although succinct, this post is interesting in that it comes from a key figure in the history of French publishing and 19th-century republican culture. A fine piece of private correspondence from one of the great French pedagogues and publishers of the 19th century. Condition: very good; mailing folds; slight traces of handling, not serious.