Camille Pissarro, Théodore Duret and Jules Berthel in London in 1871 by C H ARLES C . F R A N KIS S
at Sedan in 1870 in the Franco-Prussian war was followed by the siege of Paris and the establishment there of the Commune on 26th March 1871. As is well known, several French artists during this turbulent period sought refuge in England, among them Camille Pissarro. In early December 1870 he settled with his family – Julie Vellay (whom he married at Croydon Register Office on 14th June 1871) and their two children, Lucien and Jeanne – in Upper Norwood near to his mother and other relations already living in this southern suburb of London. Apart from several celebrated paintings of the area – views of Upper and Lower Norwood, Dulwich and Sydenham – there is little documentation of Pissarro’s residence in England until he returned to France shortly after his marriage.1 Only four letters from Pissarro appear to have survived from this period, two of which are given here (see the Appendix, letters 2 and 4). Although they are known from Pissarro’s published correspondence, their content is illuminated by three previously unpublished letters to him from the collector and early historian of the Impressionists Théodore Duret (Appendix, letters 1, 3 and 5). Taken as a whole, they shed some light on Jules Berthel who acquired one of Pissarro’s London views (Fig.41) and is hitherto known only as the first owner in that picture’s provenance. At the time of the first letter from Duret (1838–1927; Fig.40), the writer was acting as deputy mayor of the 9th arrondissement in Paris and was involved in the administration of the Commune. He was also working as an art critic and contributing to the banker Henri Cernuschi’s journal Le Siècle.2 Knowing of Pissarro’s straitened circumstances, his intention in writing to the painter, whose work he greatly admired, was to put him in touch with Jules Berthel as a possible purchaser. Duret’s friendship with this ‘charmant jeune homme’ came about through Duret’s father’s business as a cognac merchant. Jules-Emmanuel Duret had his own company, Duret et de Brie, whose London branch, named the Vine Growers Company of Cognac, had offices at 29 Mark Lane EC, ‘under the management of M[onsieur] J. Berthel’, as announced in the June 1869 issue of the Wine Trade Review. Berthel’s name appears in connection with Jules-Emmanuel Duret’s business in the London Post Office directories for 1870–74. There then seems to have been a parting of the ways, for in February 1874 the Wine Trade Review carried the following small advertisement: ‘A French gentleman with four years’ experience of the Brandy trade in the city of London wishes to meet with the management of an important Brandy
Department. He is well known in the market, and has imported his own Brandies for some time . . ..’3 This fits Jules Berthel very well. By the following year Duret’s business in London was conducted by Messrs. Coverdale, Pohlmann & Co. of 78 Mark Lane and Berthel is mentioned no more. The first recorded London address for Berthel is 26 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, where he was residing as a lodger on 2nd April 1871 (the day of that year’s census) and he is described as twenty-five years of age, of sound mind, unmarried and a shipper of brandy from France.4 Obviously he prospered, for in 1872 and 1873
1 Important articles on Pissarro in London in 1870–71 include M. Reid: ‘Camille Pissarro: Three Paintings of London of 1871. What do they represent?’, THE BURLINGTON MAGAZINE 119 (1977), pp.253–61, and J. House: ‘New Material on Monet and Pissarro in London in 1870–71’, ibid. 120 (1978), pp.636–42; see also N. Reed: Camille Pissarro at the Crystal Palace, London 1987; and, for a summary of this and subsequent London visits, see K. Adler: exh. cat. Pissarro in London, London (National Gallery) 2003. 2 For information on Théodore Duret, see the relevant entry in Dictionnaire de
Biographie Française, Paris 1933–86; and T. Duret: Histoire de quatre ans (son rôle pendant la Commune), Paris 1876, III, passim. 3 Wine Trade Review 14 (15th February 1874), p.ii. 4 Census for Parish of St Paul’s, Covent Garden, City of Westminster, 2nd April 1871 (London, Public Record Office, R.G.10.362). 5 For information on Albert Mansions and its architect, see P. Metcalf: James Knowles, Oxford 1980. Knowles is listed as living at no.16 (the same as Tennyson) in 1870. Information on the residents of Albert Mansions is from Kelly’s London Post
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40. Arrangement in flesh colour and black: Théodore Duret, by James McNeill Whistler. 1883–84. 193.4 by 90.8 cm. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York).
PISSARRO, DURET AND BERTHEL IN LONDON
41. A road in Upper Norwood, by Camille Pissarro. 1871. 45.3 by 55.5 cm. (Neue Pinakothek, Munich).
he is listed as a resident of 8 Albert Mansions, Victoria Street. This formed part of a group of nineteen recently built apartment blocks, or ‘houses’, of flats on the south side of Victoria Street, close to Victoria Station.5 Almost from the start the flats had attracted distinguished tenants such as Alfred Tennyson (at no.16 in 1870),6 John Stuart Mill (briefly at no.10 with his stepdaughter Helen Taylor),7 comte Henri Greffulhe, the future husband of Proust’s model for the duchesse de Guermantes (nos.5 and 6 from 1872), and the composer Arthur Sullivan (flats in nos.7 and 8 and thus a neighbour of Berthel’s).8 It is highly likely that on his June 1871 visit to London, Théodore Duret stayed with Berthel as this is the address given in the last of his three letters to Pissarro (Appendix, letter 5).9 It seems that Pissarro had not made contact with Berthel and so Duret arranged a meeting. The most likely date for this outing to Nor-
wood, when Duret was accompanied by Berthel and, presumably, M. Hecht (either Albert or Henri Hecht, both noted collectors in Paris) is Saturday 17th June and it was surely on that occasion that Berthel, encouraged by Duret’s taste and knowledge, bought A road in Upper Norwood, listed in Pissarro and Venturi’s catalogue raisonné as ‘Collection, Berthel, Londres’.10 The painting found its way into the collection of Ludwig Prager who gave it in 1913 to the Neue Pinakothek, Munich, in honour of the Museum’s late director Hugo von Tschudi. No definite sightings of the painting are known between Berthel’s purchase and Prager’s ownership and searches reveal no further information on Berthel once he had left JulesEmmanuel Duret’s employment in about 1873–74. Nevertheless, he was one of the earliest purchasers outside France of a work by Pissarro and should be commended for this.
Office Directories from 1870 to 1874. 6 Letter from Tennyson, dated 19th January 1870, to James Spedding: ‘for I have taken chambers in Victoria Street for three years, though they are not yet furnished’; C.Y. Lang and E.F. Shannon, eds.: The Letters of Alfred Lord Tennyson, II, 1851–70, Oxford 1987, p.360. 7 See F.E. Mineka and D.N. Lindley, eds.: The Later Letters of John Stuart Mill 1849– 1873, Toronto 1972, XVII, p.1868, note 2. 8 See A. Jacobs: Arthur Sullivan, Oxford 1986, p.66.
9
If the usual lease of three years was in place for Albert Mansions, this gives credence to Berthel’s occupancy in 1871, after his removal from Tavistock Street. The Westminster rate books for St Margaret’s Parish for 1871 and 1872 do not list the tenants of Albert Mansions. Tenants are listed from 1873 onwards and Jules Berthells [sic] appears as a tenant of no.8 from 1873 to 1877. However, as virtually no changes in tenants are recorded for these years and the first updating took place in 1878, these rate books should not be taken as a guide to periods of tenancy of the flats. 10 L.-R. Pissarro and L. Venturi: Camille Pissarro, son art – son œuvre, Paris 1939, I, p.95.
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PISSARRO, DURET AND BERTHEL IN LONDON
Appendix Letters between Théodore Duret and Camille Pissarro, May–June . The letters from Duret to Pissarro (nos.1, 3 and 5) are in Paris, Institut Néerlandais, Fondation Custodia; those from Pissarro to Duret (nos.2 and 4) are reproduced from J. Bailly-Herzberg, ed.: Correspondance de Camille Pissarro, I, 1865–1885, Paris 1980, letters 9 and 10. . Duret to Pissarro 20 rue neuve des Capucines [Paris] 9 Mai 1871 Mon cher M. Pissaro [sic], Le père Martin m’apprend que vous êtes à Londres.11 Comme les événements vous forceront peut-être a y rester encore quelque temps, je crois pouvoir peut-être vous être utile en vous donnant l’adresse d’un de mes amis à Londres, un français: M. Jules Berthel Wine Growers Company Mark Lane E.C. Je ne me rappelle plus le numéro. Mais dans Mark Lane le nom est très connu et du reste vous le trouverez vous même en vous promenant ou en présentant au premier venu l’adresse. Si vous avez occasion de rencontrer ou d’aller trouver M. Jules Berthel qui est un charmant jeune homme vous n’aurez qu’a lui présenter cette lettre de moi pour en attendre tous les bons soins auquel un artiste de votre talent a des droits. Ici on ne voit plus de tableaux, on n’entend plus parler d’art. On dit que Londres est en ce moment le rendez-vous général. Votre bien dévoué, Théodore Duret . Pissarro to Duret 2, Chatham Terrace, Palace Road, Upper Norwood, Surrey
N.B. Donnez-moi donc des nouvelles de mon ami Béliard, car je ne reçois aucune nouvelle des amis et dans toutes ces affaires, on est dans l’anxiété à leur sujet.14 Martin connaît Beliard, il pourra vous dire où le trouver. Excusez-moi pour la peine. . Duret to Pissarro Paris 20 rue neuve des Capucines Mon cher M. Pissarro, Je ne reçois votre lettre que ce matin. L’horreur et l’épouvante sont encore partout dans Paris. Rien de pareil ne s’était jamais vu. J’ai perdu moi même un de mes intimes amis, M. Chaudey, fusille à Ste Pélagie par le procureur de la Commune.15 Je n’ai plus qu’un désir, c’est de quitter, de fuir Paris pour quelques mois. Je vais aller à Londres et j’espère que vous y serez encore quand j’arriverai. Je pense également que vous aurez vu M. Berthel. Je désirerais beaucoup avoir un paysage anglais de vous. Voulez-vous bien me choisir et me séparer une ou deux des toiles que vous aurez peintes pendant votre séjour en Angleterre. Mettez-moi de côte quelle que soit la dimension, grande ou petite, ce qui vous plaira le mieux et ce qui aura le plus d’originalité et de saveur sui generis. Vous savez que j’admire celà. Paris est vide et se videra encore. Monet, Degas parmi vos amis sont absents. De peintres et d’artistes, c’est à croire à Paris qu’il n’y en a jamais eu. Bien à vous, T. Duret . Pissarro to Duret 2, Chatham Terrace, Palace Road, Upper Norwood, Surrey 5 juin 1871 Mon cher M. Duret J’ai eu le plaisir de recevoir votre lettre il y a deux ou trois jours, je suis particulièrement heureux de savoir que vous avez l’intention de venir en Angleterre, je serai enchanté de vous voir, d’avoir des nouvelles de Paris, si je suis encore ici, ce qui serait possible malgré tout le désir que j’ai de retourner dans ma maison à Louveciennes. Je ne suis pas allé chez M. Berthel et depuis que j’ai appris votre décision de venir ici, j’ai pensé que ce serait mieux que vous me présentassiez à votre ami, ce serait un moyen de vaincre ma sauvagerie. J’ai peu de tableaux, trois ou quatre tout au plus, s’il y en a parmi qui puissent vous convenir je serai content de vous les vendre. Merci donc, à bientôt. Je vous serre les mains, C. Pissarro
Mon cher M. Duret, J’ai reçu avec grand plaisir votre bien aimable lettre, et certes je ne m’attendais pas à recevoir dans ce moment une lettre de recommandation. Je ne suis ici que pour bien peu de temps, je compte retourner en France aussitôt que possible, je vous en suis, tout de même reconnaissant, et je me ferai un plaisir de présenter votre lettre à votre ami M. Berthel. Oui, mon cher M. Duret, je ne resterai pas ici, et ce n’est qu’à l’étranger que l’on sent combien la France est belle, grande, hospitalière, quelle différence ici, on ne recueille que le mépris, l’indifférence, et même la grossièreté, parmi les confrères, la jalousie et la défiance la plus égoïste – ici, il n’y a point d’art, tout est affaire de commerce. En fait d’affaires de vente je n’ai rien fait, excepté Durand-Ruel qui m’a acheté deux petits tableaux, ma peinture ne mord pas, mais pas du tout, cela me poursuit un peu partout.12 Je vous prie de serrer les mains au père Martin de ma part ainsi que sa dame, qu’il me tarde que tout soit arrangé et que Paris recouvre sa suprématie. Peut-etrê serais-je avant peu à Louveciennes – j’y ai tout perdu, il me reste une quarantaine de tableaux sur mille cinq cents – que diable ont-ils pu faire de tout cela! des guerriers!13 Votre bien dévoué, C. Pissarro
Mon cher M. Pissaro [sic] Je vous fais mes compliments de votre effet de neige de l’exposition ainsi que des tableaux que m’a montrés Durand-Ruel.16 J’irai vous voir demain samedi avec M. Berthel que vous avez déjà vu et M. Hecht un amateur distingué de Paris. J’espère que vous aurez quelque chose à nous montrer et que vous pourrez faire quelque petite affaire avec mes amis. Soyez chez vous demain et attendez nous de deux heures de l’après-midi à cinq heures. À vous, Th. Duret
11 P.F. ‘Père’ Martin (c.1810–c.1880), art dealer in the rue Lafitte, Paris, who dealt in works by, among others, Corot, Jongkind, Pissarro and Sisley. 12 From entries dated 10th October 1872 in Durand-Ruel’s stock-book (Paris, Durand-Ruel Archive): no.2031 Sydenham and no.2032 Norwood are noted as having been bought in London in 1870. This is almost certainly a mistake for 1871 as Pissarro only arrived in Norwood in early December 1870 and the first known contact between him and Paul Durand-Ruel, then also in London, was around 21st/22nd January 1871. Two paintings by Pissarro were shown in the First Annual Exhibition of the Society of French Artists at Durand-Ruel’s gallery at 168 New Bond Street and are listed in the re-hang of the show which opened on 6th March 1871 (the first hang opened on 10th December 1870). The paintings were ‘A Snow Effect’ and ‘View in Upper Norwood’. 13 For an account of Pissarro’s wartime losses in Louveciennes and the maltreatment of his house there by the Prussian army, see, for example, R.E. Shikes and
P. Harper: Pissarro. His Life and Work, London 1980, pp.94–96. 14 Edouard Béliard (1834–1912), painter, and exhibitor at the first two Impressionist exhibitions. 15 Ange-Gustave Chaudey (1817–71), politician, author and journalist, was accused (probably falsely) of having ordered the mobiles to fire on the crowd that was intent on invading the Paris Town Hall. Arrested on 13th April 1871, he was shot on 23rd May 1871 at Ste-Pélagie prison. This helps to date letter 3 as having been written after 23rd May 1871. Duret does not mention his own narrow escape from a firing squad, along with Henri Cernuschi. 16 Duret is referring to one of two works that Pissarro showed at the International Exhibition at South Kensington which opened in May 1871: ‘Winter Scenery’ (no.1276) and ‘Upper Norwood’ (no.1277) may be the same paintings as those shown by Durand-Ruel in his First Annual Exhibition of the Society of French Artists (see note 12 above).
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. Duret to Pissarro 8 Victoria Street [London]