Letter from Camille Pissarro to Eugene Murer

Set temporarily in Rouen to paint, Camille Pissarro transmits to Eugène Murer the Parisian address of his brother. He announced to him above all the imminent visit of Paul Gauguin, who had just definitively left the world of finance to devote himself entirely to painting and sought to settle in Rouen. Pissarro seeks Murer's support and network to help Gauguin take his first steps as a professional artist. The end of the missive evokes Pissarro's ongoing work and mentions an argument between Armand Guillaumin ("William") and Murer.

Sender

Camille Pissarro

Recipient

Eugene Murer

Place sent

Rouen (Seine-Maritime, France)

Original language

French

Transcription

Wheel 2 Nov. 83

My dear Murer

This is my brother's address. 42 rue f.g des petits états .

I do not believe that my wife is still in Paris, I wrote to her in Pontoise, however I did not receive any answer, so I have no certainty of her departure from Paris.

I'll make your commission and try to get you the oil that you want.

yesterday he received Gauguin's visit, — he intends to attach himself entirely to Rouen ...... it's a great determination, he moves away from Paris to put himself entirely to painting he counts with a hard work conquering a place in art.

We ran Rouen looking for a house, I have to close the case today; Gauguin counts by this isolation, asserting his way

I think I'll leave next week, it's nice, but I'd like to finish a gray weather that needs 3 to 4 more sessions. and relies on his friends and acquaintances to help him conquer the favors of amateurs, if you can be helpful to him with Legrand in particular, and friends in general, you will please me by recommending it. — isn't that bold his determination?

He'll come!

Goodbye, my dear Murer.

show my respect to Miss Marie

your devoted

C. Pissarro .

William is mad at you. How the hell did you arrange it?

(Annotations from the sketch on the back): blue grey sky / white smoke / reflections

Editorial note

This handwritten letter, preserved at the Library of the National Institute of Art History (INHA) in the Jacques Doucet collections (Cotte : Autographes 024, 01, 03.19), constitutes a historical document of first order for the history of modern art. She captured the pivotal moment of the fall of 1883 when Paul Gauguin definitively abandoned his career as a scholarship worker and threw himself into full-time artistic creation. Pissarro plays his full role here as mentor and relational pivot within the impressionist group. He tries to activate his own network of collectors (such as Murer) and merchants (such as Alphonse Legrand) to support Gauguin's start-up. The post-scriptum bears witness to the frequent financial and relational tensions in the life of the group, alluding to a blur between Murer and the painter Jean-Baptiste Armand Guillaumin, known as "William".

Note on rights: The plain text of this correspondence is in the public domain. This edition is based directly on the free transcription of the original digitized manuscripts of INHA (Open License Etalab).