Alfred Dreyfus | A joint autograph letter signed by both Alfred and his wife ("L Dreyfus" and A.Dreyfus"), 23 December 1899

Dreyfus, Alfred and Lucie

A joint autograph letter signed by both Alfred and his wife Lucie ("L Dreyfus" and "ADreyfus"), to Madame Laurens ("Chère Madame et Amie"), 23 December 1899

a letter of thanks to Madame Laurens and her husband for the gift of a picture, evidently painted by Monsieur Laurens, which represents the countryside where they rediscovered happiness, begging Madame Laurens to pass on their thanks to her husband; in the second half of their letter, Alfred describes the picture as a testimony of "hearts which are friendly and sympathetic", symbols of a period of happiness and renewal, assuring her of his love for the countryside depicted in the painting and his resolve to visit them and express his admiration to Monsieur Laurens in person 

4 pages, 8vo, 23 December 1899, with envelope addressed in Lucie Dreyfus's hand

in 1894 Captain Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935), a Jew, was accused of passing secrets to the Germans, in the form of a handwritten memorandum found in the German Embassy. Dreyfus was sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island in 1895. Despite wilful obstruction by the Army, an examination of the handwriting in question exonerated Dreyfus. The attempted cover-up by the army led to Emile Zola's famous article "J'accuse" (1898) in support of Dreyfus, who was brought back to France to face his second court martial in August and September 1899. He was again found guilty, but with "extenuating circumstances", and was pardoned. Although depressed because his conviction had not been quashed, the devotion of family and friends like the Laurens helped him regain his equilibrium.