About to found the famous car brand, Walter Chrysler encourages his son to study and play sports.
- Typed letter from Walter Chrysler to his son, Walter Percy Junior, then 15 years old and a student at the elite Hotchkiss School.
- Hand signed "Dad".
- One page, with Walter Chrysler's official letterhead, and the original envelope.
- In English.
- 20.2 cm x 25.4 cm.
- New York, October 6, 1924.
- Excellent condition of conservation.
- Unique piece.
Extract
I got back from Detroit Saturday morning (…) I know you are working hard and will do 100 percent well at Hotchkiss. Work hard and have fun whenever you get the chance. Reid will pick up your golf clubs today and will probably ship them tomorrow. I hope you get everything we sent you. If you want, play tennis, golf, etc.; get plenty of exercise.
Walter Chrysler (1875 - 1940), a German descendant, after working and being recognized as an excellent mechanic in companies in the railway sector, was invited to head production at Buick, at the time the largest company in the sector in the United States. He had a brilliant career in the company, innovating spectacularly, until he became a shareholder and president, thus building his fortune. His wealth allowed him to have enough capital to found Chrysler and become one of the "Detroit Three". Today, Chrysler belongs to the Fiat group, like Ferrari, controlling several other brands, such as Dodge, Ram trucks and Jeep.
His son Walter Jr., the recipient of this letter, then 14 years old, became interested in his father's art collection at an early age. The Chrysler Museum of Art website tells of a unique event a year after this letter:
Walter Chrysler Jr., while a 14-year-old boarding school student, bought his first painting, a small watercolor of a nude. The dorm master, believing no proper young man should have a nude in his room, confiscated and destroyed the painting. The kicker? The destroyed painting was a Renoir!
Later, after graduating, Walter Jr. went to Europe, where he met Picasso, Braque, Gris, Matisse, Léger and other avant-garde artists in Paris. He acquired several works by each of them, preparing - with his father - the largest private collection of painting and sculpture in the United States.
This letter is notable for showing Walter Chrysler's concern for his son's education and well-being, asking him to work hard but also to play sports (his father's passion). Walter Chrysler also shows affection for his other children and, especially, for his wife, whose loss in 1938 caused his premature death. In addition, this letter is historically important because it was written in 1924, the year in which Walter Chrysler created the brand's first car, also the first affordable car, the Chrysler Six, a year before officially creating Chrysler.
