To Benjamin Franklin from Madame Brillon: Two Letters, [1783]
From Madame Brillon: Two Letters2
(I) and (II) AL: American Philosophical Society
I.
[1783]
Mon aimable papa, il fait si beau que cela me donne l’ésperance de vous débaucher ce soir pour prendre le thé a la maison, venés de bonne heure pour avoir le tems de vous reposér et de retourner doucement avant la nuit; Mr votre fils et Benjamin seront assés aimables pour vous accompagner:
Addressed: A Monsieur / Monsieur Franklin / [In another hand:] A Passy
II.
ce samedi a 7 heures ½ [1783]
Mon bon papa faittes moi l’amitié d’estre chés moi a neuf heures ainsi que mrs vos fils, distes a l’aîné qu’il ne faut point de toillétte que j’aime mieux le voir en chenille que de l’attendre en papillon,3 qu’enfin je suis obligée de sortir a dix heures; je vous embrasse mon bon papa et vous attends avec grande impatience:
Addressed: A Monsieur / Monsieur Benjamin / Franklin / [In another hand:] A Passy
2. Because these undated invitations include both of BF’s grandsons, they had to have been written after mid-July, 1783, when BFB returned to Passy, and before the Brillon family moved to Paris, which we believe occurred in the fall of 1783. For the move, see the annotation of Mme Brillon to BF, [after Oct. 20].
3. WTF’s correspondence in 1783 and 1784 documents his preoccupation with high fashion. From haberdasher P. B. Graft, WTF ordered many pairs of ruffles; Graft also notified him of the latest offerings in waistcoats: Graft to WTF, March 8, June 2, Oct. 23, 1783; July 10 and Aug. 6, 1784. On Sept. 29, 1783, the Paris jeweller Foncier asked WTF to stop by his shop to verify that his new buckles had exactly the right contour. Henry Grand, while on a trip to England, sent fashionable buttons, a patent string for a hat, patterns for waistcoats, fabric for a greatcoat, and six pins; he also requested WTF’s measurements before buying a cocked hat, mourning buckles, and leather breeches. WTF reimbursed Ferdinand Grand for some of the shipping costs: Henry Grand to WTF, Oct. 29, Dec. 26, 1783; January, [1784], Jan. 20, 1784; Ferdinand Grand’s Statement of Account with WTF, Jan. 26, 1784, to July 25, 1785. All documents are at the APS.