Handwritten letter from Alberto Santos Dumont (1930s)

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Being treated for depression in 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, around 1930.
• Excellent condition.
• Unique piece.

Dear lady

Attached is your album, which I fixed as best I could; attached is the book with the guard work of the Lady of Vevey. I ask you to look at it and also to show it to Dr. Widmer. I think this lady works very well. Dear Madam, I ask you to accept my most respectful tribute.

Santos Dumont

Alberto Santos Dumont (1873 - 1932) was known above all for being one of the first - the first? - taking off on board a plane with a gasoline engine. Unable to take on his media exposure, feeling responsible for the frequent plane crashes and its 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 appears to have dedicated himself to small crafts.

This exceptional letter helps us imagine the genius inventor at the end of his life, in Switzerland, fighting depression.