Letter from Charles Carstairs to Henry Clay Frick, 4 June 1897

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SAVOY HOTEL,
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT,
LONDON.
June 4/97
My dear Mr Frick,
I send you a clipping concerning the Pender sale though no doubt you have already learned of it through the American papers.
It was a great success the Turners bringing large prices, but no more than they were worth in my
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estimation.
No 82 was bought by Tooth & Sons on order. No 84 has been sold by Agnew to Pierpont Morgan and No. 85 to Sir Donald Currey [Currie] a great admirer of Turner, who owns a large number of his pictures, which he has willed to the National Gallery of Scotland.
No 83 was purchased by Wallis & Son, dealers, for 7,600 guineas about £8000. & is today unsold, they have just put it on exhibition & will sell it
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to us for 10% advance. I thought seriously of cabling you, but decided to write although by the time you get this letter I am afraid it will be gone. I cant tell you how strongly I feel concerning this picture & how much I would like you to secure it. In the opinion of every dealer & expert here it was much the finest of the four, although simply from the subject "The Procession" No 84 was expected to bring the most money. It is lovely in quality & in a perfect state of preservation & is a great example. If you were only here you would give willingly $50.000 for it rather than lose it.
You must also remember that with Turner a high price to-day will be a low price in the near future & if this sale could be resold they would bring 25% more money.
I am going to Paris tomorrow m'n'g [morning] and return here Monday June 21st. If you should decide to buy Turner cable Knoedler
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SAVOY HOTEL,
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT,
LONDON.
Paris & we can arrange it from there.
We have found very little in the way of good pictures either of the Barbizon or English schools.
I trust Mrs Frick and the children are well
With kind regards to them
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I am
Yours very truly
Chas. S. Carstairs
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