Bidspirit auction | NADAR: (1820-1910)

NADAR: (1820-1910) - NADAR: (1820-1910) Gaspard-Felix Tournachon. French photographer, caricaturist and balloonist, the first person to take aerial photographs (1858). A good A.L.S., Nadar , one page, 4to, Boulevard des Capucines, Paris, n.d., to [Paul] Gavarni, in French. Nadar writes a charming letter of introduction, 'Bonjour a mon cher Maitre et ami! Voici deux de nos amis Martinet et Royer - deux plus enthousiaste de vous peut etre que tout le monde, ca qui est difficile tout de meme. Les hommes ont collectionne votre oeuvre autant q'uils l'ont pu: ils desirent autant qu'il sera possible, completer et ils sont surtout heureux, me disent-ils de cettre occasion de se trouver avec vous. Si cette lettre doit leur servir de Sesame, ouvre toi ! Je la leur donne bien volontaire, et j'en prends occasion de vous serner bien cordialement la main' (Translation: 'Hello my dear Master and friend! Here are two of our friends Martinet and Royer, two who are perhaps more enthusiastic than everyone else, which is difficult all the same. These men have collected your work as much as they could: they want to complete it as much as possible and they are above all happy, they tell me, about this opportunity to be with you. If this letter is to serve them as Sesame, open up! I give it to them very willingly, and I take the opportunity to shake your hand very cordially' ). In a postscript Nadar has penned an intriguing calculation, seemingly a puzzle, involving various letters and figures, asking 'Comprenez vous celui la?' (Translation: 'Do you understand this one?' ). With holograph address panel to the verso. A letter of good association. Some very light, extremely minor age wear, VG   Paul Gavarni (1804-1866) Sulpice Guillaume Chevalier. French illustrator who, like Nadar, was keenly interested in the question of aerial navigation and made experiments on a large scale with a view to find the means of directing balloons.