Bidspirit auction | DUNANT HENRY: (1828-1910)

DUNANT HENRY: (1828-1910) - DUNANT HENRY: (1828-1910) Swiss humanitarian, social activist and co-founder of the Red Cross, the first recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, 1901. A very fine set of three lengthy autograph letters signed of interesting content, ` Henry Dunant ´, 4to, in French. The first being a three pages letter, bearing to the upper left corner a large printed colour monogramme seal of the Red Cross, stating “Oeuvre Internationale Universelle d´Humanité”, Paris, 2 rue Cambaceres, 5 th June 1871, to Monsieur Léon de Maleville. Dunant states in part ` Mr. Dutilh a risqué sa vie, à plusieures reprises, dans l´intérêt des nobles projets qu´il avait si fort à Coeur à réaliser… Moi-même j´ai dû le Dimanche 21 Mai, aller le prevenir de ne pas rentrer à Paris, où ordre avait été donné de l´arrêter à son retour de Versailles, et où il eut été incontestablement fusillé avec les autres otages don’t la Commune s´était emparée. Peu d´hommes ont pris autant à Coeur et ont plus agi que lui pour chercher à faire sortir la France de la malheureuse position où, dans ces derniers temps, elle se trouvait momentanément placée.´ (Translation: “ Mr. Dutilh risked his life on several occasions in the interest of the noble projects he so fervently desired to realize. I, myself, had to go to Paris on Sunday, May 21st, to warn him not to return, as orders had been given to arrest him upon his return from Versailles, and there he would undoubtedly have been shot along with the other hostages seized by the Commune. Few men have taken such dedication to their cause and acted more diligently than he to try to extricate France from the unfortunate position in which she had recently found herself.”) The second letter is a two pages autograph letter signed, also bearing to the upper left corner the printed colour monogramme seal of the Red Cross, Paris, 16 th June 1871, to Monsieur Léon de Maleville, in French. Dunant states in part `… espérer que vous aurez eu la bonté de prendre en considération les deux requêtes que j´ai eu l´honneur d´introduire auprès de vous, celle de Monsieur le Baron Dutilh de la Tuque, relative à son désir d´être nommé Gouverneur du Chateau de Compiègne…´ (Translation: “…I hope that you will have been kind enough to consider the two requests that I had the honor of submitting to you, that of Baron Dutilh de la Tuque, concerning his desire to be appointed Governor of the Château de Compiègne…”) The third and last autograph document is an excellent and very cleanly written manuscript, signed ` Henry Dunant – Fondateur de la Convention de Genève´, three pages, n.p., n.d. The manuscript is entitled “Ligue Sociale Internationale” and contains five articles, stating in part ` 2º - La Ligue Sociale Internationale a pour but de prévenir, s´opposer et combattre toute revolution sociale violente, semblable à celle qui a ravage Paris en Mai 1871, ainsi que d´étudier, rechercher, formular et mettre en pratique les moyens d´améliorer graduellement et indéfiniment la condition des classes les moins favorisées de la fortune et spécialement celle des ouvrier des villes en Europe´ (Translation: “ 2º. The International Social League aims to prevent, oppose, and combat any violent social revolution, similar to the one that ravaged Paris in May 1871, as well as to study, research, formulate, and put into practice the means of gradually and indefinitely improving the condition of the least favoured classes of fortune, and especially that of urban workers in Europe.”) Further again stating ` 5º - Le Comité Central International aura pour devoir: 1) de créer un code bien défini du droit des gens en temps de paix et en temps de guerre, d´étudier certains points touchant le droit public entre nations civilisées….3) Rechercher, preparer et organiser, d´accord avec les gouvernements, les mesures les plus propres à combattre et arrêter le développement de Sociétés qui auraient un but de revolution violente.´ (Translation: “ 5th - The International Central Committee shall have the duty: 1) to create a well-defined code of the law of peoples in times of peace and in times of war, to study certain points relating to public law between civilized nations….3) To research, prepare and organize, in agreement with governments, the most suitable measures to combat and stop the development of Societies which would have a goal of violent revolution.”) Accompanied by two autograph letters, the first by Mr. Dutilh, and the second by his sister, three and four pages respectively, 8vo, Paris, 5 th June and 11 th May 1871, to Monsieur Leon de Maleville. In French. The letters support Dunant´s request on behalf of Dutilh, thanking Maleville for his help in order to get the post that Dutilh desires. VG, 5 Léon de Maleville (1803-1879) French politician. Deputy 1834-1848. During the French Second Republic he was a representative in the Constituent Assembly 1848-49 and was Minister of the Interior for a few days in 1848.