[ Seraphin Weingartner, Swiss artist and designer. ] Two Autograph Letters Signed (both 'Seraphin'), in English, to 'Cyril', writing in affectionate terms on a number of topics, including his studies at the industrial school at Rosswein, Saxony.

Author: 
Seraphin Weingartner (1844-1919) of Lucerne, Swiss artist and designer, founding Director of the Kunstgewerbeschule Luzern [ Rosswein, Saxony, Germany ]
Publication details: 
Both letters from Rosswein [ Saxony, Germany ]. 27 December 1908 and 19 April 1909.
£250.00
SKU: 18621

Both letters in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Both addressed to 'Dear Cyril!' Weingartner's grip of English is shaky. ONE (27 December 1908): 8pp., 8vo. He is working hard, making his own suppers, and reminisces about their time together in Paris. The girls in Rosswein are '(some of them) the finest I have ever seen. There is a lot of Balls here, every forth nighth dansing amusement all over. I was surprized to find that here, as well you find real cafe parisienne.' He describes his fellow-students: 'They come here from all parts of Germany. The north germains seem to be not so nice charaktered as those of other parts. There is 3 Autrichien lot Bulgarie, 1 Russian, 1 American 2 x swiss or Schweizer - vous comprenez'. He gives information regarding 'the americain shap': 'He is a rich son of a germain manager of a big ornamentical iron shop in Minneapolis. He gave me a catalog of theier firm and I could see that it must be a fine firme [...] He the americ. is only a young sharp of 17 but looks like 25. He wants to come with me to Switzerland [...]'. He describes a conversation with 'a noble young lady', which ends on the mention of Paris: 'This word seemed to have strucken her. No more conversation she didnt move and looked at me all the time in a rather shi way till she had to leave the train.' The letter ends with a description of his visit to Cologne, and details of his school: 'We are 105 schoolers divided in 3 courses. There is 6 teachers. 2 for mathematick, 1 for chemie 1 physik, 2 for the trade (1 for artistique work, 1 for sonstruktion. They are all clever people. For Mathematick is the most work for me, in the shop I have got to do modells for the school. For dessigning I can say to be the best one. We hav got to draw plants after Natur and designe them in all different styls. [...]' He ends with remembrances to 'La Pepita'. TWO (19 April 1909): 8pp., 12mo. One page in French. He has 'got a lovely room now with 3 windows not a bit like those we have had in Paris oh! Gee-wiz, by cingr! [...] There is a countryroad going out on boths side some lovely gentlemen houses [...] Hellow! Up the road comes a part of the germain armee. I cannot help thinking for Champygny and the other interesting corners of Paris where we have seen so many Episods of the germain-french war. Here they are the same looking soldiers as in the big pictures in the petit Palais. They shaps are nearly all smart looking big and healthy; the officers less sympathical a little rud. All over I can see the farmers plughing theier fields'. He reminisces about their time in Paris, and 'the serious and jolly hours we spent there together. Did you take the fridpan home and all that fun. I had look in my Memorandum you know in wich I used to writ such alot and you had to wait till your cafe has got cold and I was finisht at last. [...] I am sure your Patron didnt like to see you leaving his shop. I remember the face my old buss pulled when I left him; also the hole in the ground where you used to watsh me knocking away till seven o clock came and felt in to be in daylight as I never am here.' Regarding his present place of study he writes: 'About the school I can tell you that it is as far as I know very good it was mentioned at the "Reichstag" at Berlin by a minister Evelyn. There was a lot in the papers about it wich has shown the school in a splendid light. [...] Nearly all the shaps who left the school an Easter have got good position some of them in Wienna and Bukarest. Where I shall come after this time passed knows God. Very likly we may see us sooner in London than in Lucerne.' The letter continues in the same tone, with a reference to 'Alois Burlet'.