GRÜN, Alphonse. - Lot 133

GRÜN, Alphonse. (Strasbourg, 1801–1866) Lawyer, journalist, and man of letters. Set of two autograph letters signed “Al. Grün,” addressed to “my dear friend” and to “my dear Armand.” Paris, March 31, 1851, and February 15, 1853. 2 items: 1 page in-8 and 1½ pages in-8, the latter on printed letterhead of the “Ministry of State and the Emperor’s Household,” with a return address and postmarks. A printed article is enclosed: “Nativity Scenes in England.” An interesting collection of correspondence combining intellectual concerns with firsthand accounts of the political upheavals at the beginning of the Second Empire. In the first letter, Grün sends his correspondent his recent publications, which he recommends with conviction: “I am sending you the last three little pieces I have published […] I recommend, if needed, the publications of our association for popular education. These are meant to be disseminated in the countryside and among the people everywhere,” revealing his commitment to the dissemination of knowledge and popular education. The second letter, which is more detailed, offers a personal account of the consequences of the regime change following the coup d’état of 1851. In it, Grün describes the loss of his position at the *Moniteur universel*, from which he was dismissed “without ceremony,” and then his efforts to seek redress. He recounts the interventions of “influential figures” and the solution ultimately reached: his appointment as “archivist to the crown,” a modest position that nevertheless left him time for his personal work. These letters provide a vivid account of the professional realities faced by journalists amid political upheaval, as well as the networks of influence and mechanisms of administrative redress under the Second Empire.