“PERLE FAUSSE”. HANDWRITTEN LETTER TO AN ANONYMOUS LOVER SIGNED 1920 WITH ADDITIONS BY GEORGES RIBEMONT-DESSAIGNES

14.2 x 11.1cm, 1pp hand-written letter from Andre Breton signed “Andre” to an unknown lover “Germaine” with significant content.

Breton apparently wrote this ‘lettre pneumatique’ in June 1920 (towards the end of the Dadaist period in Paris) and sent it to his lover with the following message:

“Ma cherie, pas encore ce soir,/ pardon. Je sais, je sais, et tu/ m’obliges te donner des motifs/ de mes absences, pourquoi? Je dois/ revoir Eluard qui part ˆ la/ campagne demain, je sors avec/ lui et rentrerai trs tard. La/ semaine prochaine, je compte/ que nous nous entendions mieux/ sur nos heures, ne dis pas/ que je ne fais pas ce que je peux./ Je pense toi, veux-tu m’ecrire/ un petit mot. Je suis aussi/ dans un etat moral singulier;/ ˆ quoi, mon amour, tu ne/ peux rien? Est-ce encore une/ fois pardonne?/ Andre

In translation:

My darling, again not tonight, sorry. I know, I know, and you force me to give you reasons for my absences, why? I must see Eluard again who goes to the countryside tomorrow, I will go out with him and come home very late. Next week, I hope that we will understand better each other about our “timing?”, don’t say that I don’t do what I can. I think of you, can you write me a small note? I also am in a unusual (“singular”) moral state, of which, my love, you can’t do anything about? Am I once again forgiven? Andre

A lettre pneumatique was a common way of sending urgent notes throughout Paris (using a series of pneumatic tubes between post offices) and the tense tone of the letter suggests a clandestine arrangement having to be changed at short notice. The phasing of the letter also suggests a certain cooling of the relationship – certainly concern about the effect of Breton cancelling (presumably not for a first time) the meeting and the expected chiding from his lover.

The letter reads as if it has been written towards the end of a relationship rather than in the full passion of an early liaison. Men are like that: even famous surrealists. Perhaps, even more, famous surrealists. There is no reference in the literature, that we know of, to any lover of Breton’s having the forename “Germaine” and it is tempting to speculate that the Germaine here is Germaine Picabia (nee Everling) who Breton certainly knew very well – Breton being a constant visitor to Picabia’s house (the place, for example, where the Dadaists first met Tristan Tzara) and there are several photographs of Breton and the two Picabias at social functions and at Dadaist events.

However this is, just that, speculation and would require much further research to confirm but nonetheless the letter is a mystery awaiting a solution – was Breton cuckolding his friend?

The provenance of the letter is indirectly from Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes who has added various handwritten texts of his own including the “title” Perle Fausse (which translates as ‘False Pearl’), the Surname “BRETON” under the “Andre” signed by Breton, as well as “A GERMAINE” and “DADA” at the bottom of the letter in purple and green inks.

It seems likely that these texts were added later as an attempt of explication by GR-D. Alternatively Ribemont-Dessaignes may have been commenting on the content of the letter, its tone of slight deceit or perhaps even a comment about the affair or the participants in the affair.

Verso the letter is in a minorly damaged state with the lettering of the outside of the epistle having been affected by some previous adhesion to another paper (perhaps a scrap book or book of mementos) and the name and address is unreadable, the stamps and franking can be seen but the date is hard to read although the franking does reveal “Paris” and “Juin 6” and the number “20” can also be seen in the franked impressions (which would match Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes’ dating verso). The word “urgent” is also handwritten on the folded front of the letter. Perhaps scientific analysis could reveal more – certainly our own manipulations (enlargement and alteration of photographic contrast of an electronic reproduction) suggests that more detail could be revealed on the franking and possibly even the addressee with a little sophisticated work).

All in all a fascinating small letter which may raise more questions than it answers and a scarce early document from Breton’s hand at a point where Dada was about to be rejected and surrealism born. One small tear on fold (0.7cm) and some adhesion from another paper verso otherwise very good condition bearing in mind the original mailed aspect of this item.