STOLTZ (Joseph-Alexis, 1803–1896). - Lot 291

STOLTZ (Joseph-Alexis, 1803–1896). Physician, professor at the Strasbourg School of Medicine and later at the Nancy School of Medicine. Autograph letter signed “Stoltz” to “My dear Mr. Roth.” Strasbourg, January 5, 1870. 1 p. in-8 on mourning paper. A beautiful autograph letter signed by the famous Alsatian physician Joseph-Alexis Stoltz, a leading figure in 19th-century Strasbourg medicine. Dated in Strasbourg a few months before the events of 1870, the letter is addressed to Mr. Roth and concerns Stoltz’s intervention with the Postmaster General to secure the retention of a certain Gresner in his position as postmaster. The physician reports having held a lengthy meeting with the Postal Service administration, though without achieving the desired result: “I was unable to obtain from him any assurance that Gresner will remain in Sélestat as postmaster…” He adds, in a very personal turn of phrase that reveals the tone of the letter: “I downplayed the aggressor’s wrongdoing as much as I could—perhaps even too much—but I am by no means certain I succeeded.” An interesting document combining private correspondence, a letter of recommendation, and the administrative context of Alsace on the eve of the Franco-Prussian War. The mourning paper gives the entire document a sober and elegant appearance.