818 - BARTHOLDI, Auguste (1834–1904). Signed autograph letter. “At sea, June 18, 1871, 41° north latitude, 58° west longitude.” 4 pp., in-8.

BARTHOLDI, Auguste (1834–1904). Signed autograph letter. “At sea, June 18, 1871, 41° north latitude, 58° west longitude.” 4 pp., in-8. BARTHOLDI IS HEADING TO NEW YORK: “My dear Émile, here is my geographical position; the weather is beautiful, and I am picking up a pen so that when I arrive, I will be sure to have a letter to send you right away. We embarked on Saturday, June 10; we set sail at 5:00 a.m., and the weather was lovely. […] Yesterday, we again encountered fog that was quite unpleasant for navigation; but today, Sunday, the weather is glorious, and it will most likely remain this way all the way to New York, where I expect we’ll arrive on Wednesday morning. The beginning was still a bit of a trial to get through; that’s to be expected in any undertaking, and certainly an eleven-day voyage is not the most entertaining of experiences. I’ll be delighted to see a few blades of grass, for apart from the occasional ship we encounter, the horizon and the sight of the waves are rather monotonous.” Bartholdi describes the sick passengers on board in the preceding days: “[…] we were all lying in our cabins, where trunks, dishes, trinkets, and clothes were dancing in a marvelous sarabande. There aren’t very many passengers on board, but the company is not the best; despite this, there are a few well-to-do people, and camaraderie develops fairly quickly once we’ve been vomiting together for a few days. Most of the passengers are American, which allows me to learn a lot and practice my language skills. I already feel much better equipped to manage once we disembark—something that’s always tricky in an unfamiliar country when you have no prior information. “So this letter won’t be able to tell you about America just yet—that will have to wait for the next one […].” He shares his address in New York (Broadway), gives a lengthy update, mentions Etienne, Jacques, repairs, the ship’s engines and pistons, his goddaughter, and so on. Bartholdi was traveling to New York to choose the site for his Statue of Liberty, promote his project, and seek patrons. He would travel the length and breadth of the country for six months, meet with President Ulysses S. Grant, and ultimately choose Bedloe’s Island, in New York Harbor, as the site for his statue.