ROYAL CUSTOMS. - Lot 116

Lot 116
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ROYAL CUSTOMS. - Lot 116
ROYAL CUSTOMS. Leave granted to a lieutenant in the Customs Service. Charleville, September 18, 1817. Printed administrative document with significant handwritten notes, 1 large folio sheet, on laid paper bearing the royal coat of arms, titled “Kingdom of France—Leave of Absence.” A rare official leave of absence issued by the Royal Customs Service to Jean-Baptiste Pelluch, lieutenant of the Customs Service at the Flize post, Mézières inspection station, and chief of the customs officers. The document provides a particularly detailed physical description of the holder: 37 years old, 1 meter 80 tall, chestnut hair and eyebrows, high forehead, blue eyes, aquiline nose, medium-sized mouth, round chin, full face. The Director of Royal Customs granted him leave to travel to Reims (Marne), “where interesting business called him,” while maintaining his salary for the authorized duration of his absence. It is expressly stipulated that the leave must be endorsed by the competent authorities upon both departure and return before being forwarded to the Directorate. The document is dated Charleville, September 18, 1817, and bears the handwritten signature of the Director of Royal Customs. This document is particularly interesting for its comprehensive anthropometric description—a characteristic feature of administrative identity documents from the early 19th century—which allowed for the unambiguous identification of royal administration officials during their travels. A rare and beautiful administrative document from the Second Restoration, combining leave authorization, a detailed physical description, and an official signature—a remarkable testament to the methods used to identify and monitor agents of the French Royal Customs Service.
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