CAMBON (Jules) - Lot 58

CAMBON (Jules) Born in Paris, 1845—died in 1935. Administrator and diplomat, French ambassador to Washington and later to Berlin, a major figure in French diplomacy in the late 19th century. Autograph letter signed “Jules Cambon,” addressed to Dr. Cazalis. Madrid, December 1, 1903. 3 pages, in-8 format. Mourning paper embossed with the name of the French Embassy in Spain. An important letter of condolence in which Cambon thanks his correspondent for his condolences, expressing the depth of his grief with great restraint: “Your shared sorrow over the misfortune that has befallen me is deeply felt… at a time like this, while nothing can offer true consolation, it is nonetheless a source of comfort to feel the presence of friends and well-wishers around me…” He speaks movingly of his mother’s passing, “the best and only witness to our lives who has now departed,” emphasizing the immense void left for him and his brother. This document, written in an intimate and particularly touching tone, sheds light on the personal side of a great diplomat stationed in Madrid and bears witness to the practice of expressing grief through letters in the highest administrative circles at the turn of the 20th century.