DLA015-0028  Translation

Munich

29th February 1924.

Dear Brother,

I received your letter yesterday – my warmest thanks for your greetings and for your kind thoughts. I immediately went to Dury^[1] and to Konrad Barth’s art and craft workshop at 65 Luisenstrasze. This Dury is a strange man, he still hasn’t sent off the painting boards. This made me very angry, as I wanted to take them to London myself and I ordered them at the time with this in view. When I wanted to [illegible], he had not yet obtained the export permit. He explained to me that for 6 half painting boards it was not worthwhile to arrange an export licence and packing, and that I should send 6 small ones and 6 large ones. I agreed, and I asked him to arrange to send these at once, which he faithfully promised me. Now he tells me that it should be at least half a hundredweight – or even better, a whole hundredweight. He told me that in a hundredweight there are twenty whole painting boards, which is too many! He should have told me all this straight away in the first place! He also claimed that whole ones and half ones are not easily packed together; he says the half boards slip and crumple at the corners; that before the war he was always allowed to send only whole ones, so that a bookbinder could cut the whole lot into two halves! Now, as I assume that you will need the painting boards soon, and it would take too long for you to send [illegible] again, I am arranging to send you half a hundredweight , i.e. ten whole boards, which will be despatched on Monday morning as today is already Saturday and Dury will not be able to finish the matter before. He has framed the two lovely pictures for me, mine in a broad gold frame [2817], and the childrens’ in a nicely carved narrow old-gold frame. Barth has much nicer ones, it is a pity that I did not see these before, but I had already arranged the framing with Dury!

Yesterday I was unable to speak to K. Barth as he is very ill; his daughter called me to come today, his son was also searching, but it cannot be found, and nobody remembers the Pope’s [4509] frame of 1900.^[2] The business has since gone through three different hands, and every nine years they have new record books and destroy the old ones. They know that you are an artist, but they do not know anything else. 

I think I remember the frame of the Pope’s portrait! - and I searched in the stocks of old patterns there today and I found a part of the so called Profile which I think is similar. They said that they did not have any drawings of it; I searched with the son in the old pattern books and I found the illustrations, one is 17 and one is 19 cm. in width, so they still have these in stock these days – Cardinal Archbishop Faulhaben,^[3] who was painted here, was also given this frame. [illegible] [Barok ?] the sample is very nice and makes an impact next to the picture. The picture size is approximately 110 x 80 (estimated), Baroque pattern with heavy corners in burnished Parisian bronze, lightly age-toned, Pattern No. 45 (Lamberger Pattern), price approx. 180 to 190 Gold Marks. In real gold the price would be about 40 Marks more. Delivery time approximately four to five weeks. The shop undertakes all the completion and the delivery. 

I was pleased to get the nice letter from Lügerl with (Csirkefej)^[4] and I heartily thank him for it. Did the Good Spirit send another parcel? I heard just before my [illegible] that as soon as I had left, a note arrived for me; it will come again tomorrow, and perhaps it will be the gift that you already told me about – I shall let you know immediately. These gifts are a blessing for me – for me and for some poor people whom I can feed with it and some blind children whom I can guide and who I can also feed on certain days – Sunday afternoons are devoted to my blind charges.^[5] May God thank you for this love and this great help!

Thank goodness I am feeling better – recently I had to stay in bed – the cold and the snow here are unusually great!^[6] The Hitler Case makes people here feel rather worried!^[7] When I left London, I wrote a letter to Marzell [sic]^[8] – since then I have unfortunately not heard from him. I shall write to him again tomorrow, and also to Szerena.^[9] When my sisters will be good enough to call me to the “celebration”, to the grave of our dearly beloved, then I shall be happy to go there to pray by the cherished graves and to draw strength for myself – for a short time.^[10] I have now got used to my loneliness and I have grown to like my four walls, and my little garden needs my caring hands. Sadly, I can no longer enjoy any outward pleasures – everything has become so still within me! – and it is better for me to shut everything up within myself. The little girl whom I was looking after has gone to a convalescent home in Vienna for three months, with a number of other children from the school. Fifty girls will be confirmed there. I have no news about my boys – they are living with women of long …[illegible] – nevertheless I shall not give up hope! – but from my side I shall not do anything: I leave this to God! They have to realise their mistakes themselves, they are old enough; if they prefer money and frivolous women, then that is their affair – I have in every way conscientiously fulfilled my parental duties, for which God is my witness.^[11] He who is omniscient, I give myself into His hands and His protection, and then things will go well with me.

I thank you again for all your goodness and kindness and I pray for God’s blessing upon you. Please give my greetings to Miss Eva and to her dear friend.^[12] Give my love and kisses to my dear [illegible] Johny [sic] child! His parcel and letter will be posted on Monday. Regards to Mademoiselle.

With my love and kisses, | Your grateful

Pauline

Please send me back the photographs of the frame.

Editorial Note:

Paula Laub, later Frau Carl Valentin (1873-1924) [2817], the artist’s youngest sister, known as Pauline, was the fifth of the six surviving children of Adolf and Johanna Laub

Pd’O

09/12/2006