This letter was written by Alexandre Dumas (1802 - 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas Pere, the French novelist and playwright who wrote historical novels of adventure, such as The Three Musketeers and The Count Of Monte Cristo. Early on he worked as a writer, then fell from favor after the election of Napoleon Bonaparte III in 1851, so he moved to Belgium, then to Russia and Italy, where he founded and published Indipendente, a newspaper which supported Italian unification. He was also the father of Alexandre Dumas fils - Alexandre Dumas the son - and his grandmother was an Afro-Caribbean slave and his father a mulatto, so even though he was a success as a writer, Alexandre faced discrimination based on his mixed ancestry, 

He was also a friend and strong supporter of Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Italian unification movement: they shared a commitment to liberal republican principles and Dumas wrote many works praising Garibaldi's leadership, he even provided Garibaldi's forces with resources like muskets and rifles, and he organized propaganda for the unification movement through his newspaper.   

The letter is two-sided and speaks about General Garibaldi in the very first two lines, so it has historical significance. The handwriting is hard to decipher, but it mentions salaries and money, ministers and figures like Charles Bonnucci, and the Bureaux. It is signed with a flourish and clearly the signature of Alexandre Dumas the father, not Alexandre Dumas the son - and it is dated 16  7, 1860 - July 16, 1860.  

The letter is framed and under glass and in great condition. The frame measures 15 x 13 1/2 inches wide and the letter measures 10 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches wide, with a brown mat on the front and a white mat on the back, and it is already wired to hang. We have not examined the letter out of the frame, but there are no tears or repairs to the letter: some ink on the back side can be seen on the other side, so it seems a little hard to read the letter because of that - and a true gem of a letter - it was written by a famous author and has historical significance - where do you find letters written by Alexandre Dumas and mention Garibaldi together? 

Overall Size: 15 x 13 1/2 in.
Sight Size: 10 1/4 x 8 1/4 in.
#4660