Marthe Hoschedé, Giverny
James P. Butler, New York (by descent from the above and sold: Park-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, March 10, 1971, lot 1)
Acquired at the above sale

Paris, Orangerie des Tuileries, Manet, 1932, no. 116
Martigny, Switzerland, Fondation Pierre Gianadda, Manet, 1996, no. 79, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Paris, Musée d'Orsay & Baltimore, Walters Art Gallery, Manet: The Still-Life Paintings, 2000-01, no. 54, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Adolphe Tabarant, Manet et ses oeuvres, Paris, 1947, p. 394
Alain de Leiris, The Drawings of Édouard Manet, Berkeley & Los Angeles, 1969, no. 546
Denis Rouart & Daniel Wildenstein, Édouard Manet, Catalogue raisonné, vol. II, Lausanne & Paris, 1975, no. 594, illustrated p. 211
Françoise Cachin, Manet, lettres à Isabelle, Méry et autres dames, Geneva, 1985, illustrated pp. 90-91
Juliet Wilson-Bareau, Manet by Himself, no. 199, illustrated p. 258

Executed on cream colored laid paper which has been folded in half vertically with a letter on the front and interior right surface. Sheet has been hinged to a mat at two places on the top edge of the verso. Slightly time darkened with mat stains present at the extreme perimeter and some faint staining including pindot spot of foxing toward lower left quadrant. A crease runs horizontally through the sheet. Remnants of tape are present on the verso of both written surfaces. Overall this work is in very good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Marthe Hoschedé, best known as stepdaughter of Claude Monet and second wife to American Impressionist painter Theodore Butler, was once Manet’s subject. The artist painted a portrait of her with her father, Ernest Hoschedé, a wealthy department store owner and patron of the arts, circa 1877 (see fig.1). The years that followed were quite tumultuous for young Marthe. Her father became bankrupt and moved to Belgium, where he would die in 1891; she was left in the care of her mother, Alice Hoschedé, who simultaneously cared for Monet’s two sons following the death of their mother in 1879. Alice Hoschedé and Monet were wed in 1892.

With these circumstances in mind, and in light of its endearing tone, this 𝕴letter to sixteen-year-old Marthe offers insight into Manet’s generous character:

Bellevue
September 10, 1880

Dear Little Miss Marthe,

As for me, it is the handwritten letters of the people I like best that I collect, so you can well imagine that I have the proper place for your letter. Upon my return to Paris I will send you what you request. I only have two letters here that are worth keeping in my album. I will send them to you without their envelopes.

We will remain at Bellevue until the end of October. The stay has done me so much good that I am sorry to return to town. Please remember me to your mother, I had the misfortune of missing her by a quarter of an hour last week at L’Art du Mode, which I attended to hear the news of the kind editor.

With affectionate memories from us all to you all and the assurance of my devotion dear Miss Marthe,

Ed. Manet