LEMAÎTRE (Louis PROSPER, known as Frédérick). - Lot 182

LEMAÎTRE (Louis PROSPER, known as Frédérick). 1800–1876. French actor. P.A.S. “Frédérick Lemaître” addressed to “The Artists of the Théâtre d’Orléans.” Orléans, October 30, 1848. 1 folio page. BEAUTIFUL DECORATIVE PIECE. Following performances at the Théâtre d’Orléans, he expresses his gratitude: …I found among you talent, modesty, zeal, and courtesy—qualities that are not encountered every sunny day—and so I felt the desire to express to you my deep satisfaction and my heartfelt gratitude. Greetings and Fraternity…Victor Hugo, who saw Lemaître as an actor of genius, cast him in roles as sensitive young leading men, notably Ruy Blas and the young Gennaro in *Lucrezia Borgia*. The actor, nicknamed “the colossus of drama,” created the role of Kean by Alexandre Dumas and that of Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Victor Hugo tried in vain to have him admitted to the Comédie-Française, which rejected him.