Letters of Pierre-Narcisse Chaspoux and her son Charles Meryon to Charles Lewis Meryon (letters 1-100), 1821-1839

Component identifier:

Item ff. 1-196

Content Summary:

The letters from Chaspoux (also known as Mme. Gentil) date from 1821 to 1836, two years before her death, and were written from Paris. Charles Lewis Meryon travelled extensively and the letters were addressed to Florence, Marseilles, the Levant, Broadstairs, as well as London. The earliest letter that he received from his son was written in 1828 and there are regular letters from onwards.

The letters from Chaspoux refer to Charles Meryon's childhood activities, including his baptism, visits to the theatre, presents from his father, his relations with his half-sister Fanny Lowther, visits to the theatre, house moves, his education, his stay in Marseilles in 1834-35, his study of the English language, a visit to Italy, his moods and interests, and his interest in a career in the French Navy. There are also references to Chaspoux's relations with Lord Lowther (the father of Fanny) and meetings with Charles Lewis Meryon. The letters are all in French.

The letters from Charles Meryon deal inter alia with presents, his schooling, English lessons, reading, his interest in a naval career, and the death of his mother (1838). A few of his letters are in English, but most are in French.

Apart from six original letters, the letters are all manuscript copies, which are numbered. Occasionally, sentences or passages were omitted and there are a few annotations in English, probably made by Lewis Meryon, who donated the collection to the British Museum.

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