Lettre autographe signée de Théophile Gautier à sa fille cadette "J'ai manqué pour ma part d'y laisser ma peau et je ne suis pas encore bien brillant"

Autograph letter signed by Théophile Gautier, 34 lines in black ink, address at foot on verso of the letter: "Versailles avenue de St-Cloud n°3".
Folds inherent to mailing.
The letter appears to be unpublished, not mentioned in the Correspondance Générale de Théophile Gautier, edited by Claudine Lacoste-Veysseyre, under the direction of Pierre Laubriet (Droz, Geneva-Paris, 12 vol., 1985-2000).
Rare glimpse into Gautier's private life, the letter captures the anguish that struck the author and his family during the Paris Commune.
Separated from his family by the Prussian invasion of 1870 and the Parisian insurrections of 1871, Théophile Gautier confides the extent of his torments, both financial and due to the Paris Commune, to his "dear sweetheart", his younger daughter, Estelle Gautier: "I may yet manage to recover from this collapse [...] I am happy that these atrocious ordeals have been spared you. For my part, I nearly lost my life and I am still not in brilliant condition". Gautier's usual supporters are evident here through the names of academician Camille Doucet and dancer Carlotta Grisi. The virulence of the fighting between communards and repressive forces can be sensed in the evocation of Gautier's sister, Emilie, called "Lili": "Lili is still in her cellar. Coming out is too perilous but she will be delivered within a few days. Alas! Very long ones". Characteristic of the personal register, rare in Gautier's correspondence, the letter is imbued with the paternal love the author bears for his family: "What a celebration when we are all reunited for my heart suffers greatly from this dispersion".