102 - Jean-François RAFFAËLLI (1850–1924)

Jean-François RAFFAËLLI (1850–1924) Autograph letter with drawing, [Asnières], October 19, 1888, to Stéphane MALLARMÉ; 1 page, in-8 format, with envelope. Regarding the quatrain “La Marchande d’habits,” which appears in the 7th installment of *Types de Paris* (Plon-Nourrit, 1889), illustrated with drawings by Raffaelli. The painter asks Mallarmé for a poem: “The vagaries of the layout have forced me to add a character to our series: could you write 2, 4, or 6 lines for me—no more, because of the pages that still need finishing—on ‘La Marchande d’habits’ ,” which he drew in ink (with red highlights) and described as follows: “In my drawing, she is still young and not unattractive […], holding clothes in both arms; shouts while looking up at the market; she holds an umbrella in one hand and an old hat in the other. I would be a thousand times grateful if you would send me this as soon as inspiration strikes”… [Mallarmé will send this quatrain: “The vile eye with which you gaze / Right down to their very contents / Separates me from my rags / And like a god I walk naked.”]