ROUGET DE LISLE, Claude Joseph (1760-1836). Autograph letter signed ("J. Rouget de Lisle"), as former officer with the French Royal Corps of Engineer to Monsieur Fauncy. Choisy-le-Roi, 6 September 1830.

1 page, 8vo, on a bifolium, addressed on integral leaf, postmarked verso, some minor staining and toning, small loss to upper corner not affecting text, some light creasing.

Regarding the incomplete payment of 6,000 francs and lack of reimbursement from Mr. Goldier, a former judge. Author and composer of Marseillaise, which eventually became France’s national anthem in 1879, Rouget de Lisle was imprisoned for his defense of the monarchy, released after Robespierre's fall, and was later imprisoned as a debtor. This letter was written during a time of financial distress for the composer and demands repayment of his property.

[Above tipped-in to:] DAMÉ, Frédéric (1849-1907). L'Invasion 1792-1870. Paris: Alphonse Lemerre, 1870. 8vo (187 x 115 mm, interleaved with 199 x 133 mm). Hand-colored pictorial half-title, 2 plates, 2 hand-colored vignettes, stamp laid in after ALS. Later red morocco, spine gilt-lettered, top edge gilt, red, white and navy morocco doublures, STAMP-SIGNED TAFFIN (some staining, joints cracked but holding).

Property from a Private Collection, Chicago, Illinois

This lot is located in Chicago.