Letter from Friedrich Viktor Spitzer to Marie Schiele, 4th Nov. 1918

Transcription:

Vienna 4/11 18
XIX Steinfeldg[asse] 11.

Dear Mrs. Schiele!
Please allow me to express my
heartfelt condolences to you
and your family for the
loss of your son.
It is only today that I have received
the death notice you have sent me
and since I was not aware
of the time of the funeral
I was unable to attend.
I have greatly treasured your son
as a man and as an artist
and his passing saddens
me. He was a very promising
artist and it is a great
loss to all of us that he was
torn from the world of art
in the midst of his creativity

so prematurely.
I hope you will forgive me
for approaching you with a
request I am making purely
out of loyalty and reverence
for the deceased.
When your son visited me
a few months ago he
saw the heliogravures
of my photographs of Klimt
and suggested that I
give him 2 copies,
for which he would in turn
give me one of his drawings
by which to remember
our artistic relations.
He wrote to me

when I sent him the requested
copies to say that he had
gotten them and would
personally bring me a drawing
once he had restored order after
his move. I have since been in
Russia, from where I
returned only in October.
Will you be so kind as to
have such a work
sent to me as a
treasured memento? A sketch
of his wife or of himself
would be especially precious to me.
I am sure you know that I have
executed a good portrait
of him. In case it is
wanted by you or for a

publication I will be
glad to oblige.
Yours
respectfully,
Dr. F. V. [Friedrich Viktor] Spitzer

[Envelope:]
Mrs. Marie Schiele
Vienna [crossed out: XIII]
Hietzinger Hauptstr. 114]
[written by a foreign hand:]
VI
Gfrornergasse 7

From: Dr. F. V. Spitzer Vienna XIX Steinfeldg. 4.