CHARAVAY (Étienne) (1848-1899) - Lot 307

CHARAVAY (Étienne) (1848-1899) French bookseller, publisher, archivist-paleographer and historian. Founder and director of Revue des Documents Historiques, a major figure in the 19th-century autograph and manuscript market. L.A.S. "Étienne Charavay", Paris, January 29, 1879, 2 pages in-8 on Revue des Documents Historiques letterhead, addressed to Ferdinand Hérold, senator and prefect of the Seine. Beautiful letter of congratulations addressed to Ferdinand Hérold on the occasion of his recent appointment to the prefecture of the Seine, a prestigious position to which he had just been called. Charavay writes: "Allow me to join your friends and all the good citizens who have come to congratulate you on the position to which the just confidence of the government has called you. No one more than you was worthy of these eminent functions...". He then recalls his long-standing ties with the recipient: "Since my childhood, I have had the honor of knowing you, and your benevolence has never failed me." The second part of the letter is of particular interest for the history of autographs and manuscripts. Charavay announces the dispatch of an autograph letter from Ferdinand Hérold's father, the celebrated composer Louis-Joseph-Ferdinand Hérold (1791-1833), author of Zampa and Le Pré aux Clercs among other works: "...a letter from your illustrious father, dating from his youth and relating to his first successes at the Conservatoire." He offers this document as a tribute to the new prefect: "Please accept this as a small token of my respect and gratitude." This correspondence brings together two important figures of the 19th century: Étienne Charavay, a pioneer in the autograph trade, and Ferdinand Hérold, a high-ranking official of the Third Republic and son of the famous composer. The letterhead of the Revue des Documents Historiques adds further bibliophilic interest to this piece. Fine autograph signature by Étienne Charavay. Interesting testimony to the relationship between the world of autographs, cultural history and the administrative elites of the Third Republic. Condition: very good; mailing folds; letterhead perfectly preserved.