Lot 402
Colette, Sidonie-Gabrielle (1873-1954) French novelist and music-hall performer. Postcard photograph signed ("Colette Willy"), 5½ x 3½ in., no place, no date. A three-quarter photo by F.C. & Cie. Born Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, she married Henry Gauthier-Villars, a writer and critic known as "Willy," who discovered her talent for writing. He locked her in a room to force her to focus on writing and published her first four books, the Claudine series, under his name. She left Willy in 1906 and continued to write. Her novel Gigi (1944), was adapted for both stage and screen, and a musical film version was made in 1958, starring Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, and Leslie Caron. Colette was made a member of the Belgian Royal Academy (1935), the French Académie Goncourt (1945), and a grand officer of the Legion of Honour--all honors rarely granted to women.
Estimated Value $500 - 600.
Christie's New York, Apr. 17, 1996, lot 63.
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| Realized $575 |
