ROCHEFORT, Henri de. - Lot 274

ROCHEFORT, Henri de. (Paris, 1831 – Aix-les-Bains, 1913) Journalist and politician, a leading figure in the opposition to the Second Empire. Autograph letter signed “Cte de Rochefort,” addressed to a notary in Libourne. Paris, August 11, 1856. 2½ pages, in-8 format. Includes the address, postmark, and postal stamps. An interesting letter concerning a contentious and suspicious matter regarding the lease of a family property, “la terre de la Roque.” Rochefort expresses his astonishment at receiving, via a bailiff, a document announcing the termination of the lease, which he considers to be based on a “false assumption regarding a person.” Suspecting a hoax, or even an anonymous letter, he mentions the name of Mr. Recapet and asks his notary to conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether the served notice is genuine or fraudulent. This correspondence, predating his rise to prominence as a journalist, sheds light on a more private aspect of Rochefort’s life, still far removed from the major political controversies that would make him famous during the Second Empire and later the Third Republic. It nevertheless attests to his already distrustful and combative nature in the face of what he perceived as an abusive maneuver. An interesting document, blending concerns about his estate with an atmosphere of suspicion, written in a direct and assertive style.