While being treated for depression at a famous clinic in Switzerland, the famous aviator Alberto Santos Dumont does manual work.
Handwritten letter signed by Alberto Santos Dumont.
One page.
In French.
21 cm x 27 cm.
Valmont, Switzerland, circa 1930.
Excellent condition of conservation.
Unique piece.
Dear Madam,
Enclosed is your album, which I have repaired as best I could; enclosed is the book of Madame de Vevey's work as a guard. I ask you to look at it and also to show it to Dr. Widmer. I think that this lady works very well. Dear Madam, I ask you to accept my most respectful homage.
Santos Dumont
Alberto Santos Dumont (1873 - 1932) was best known for being one of the first - the first? - to take off in a plane with a gasoline engine. Unable to accept his media exposure, feeling responsible for the frequent plane crashes and their use as a weapon during the war, Santos Dumont suffered emotionally.
In 1925, he was hospitalized at the famous Valmont clinic, near Lausanne, run by Dr. Henri-Auguste Widmer. Santos Dumont wrote this curious letter during a stay at the clinic, where he seems to have devoted himself to small manual tasks.
This exceptional letter helps us imagine the brilliant inventor at the end of his life, in Switzerland, struggling with depression.
