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472 West End Avenue New York, Jany. 15, 1917

Henry C. Frick Esq Fifth Avenue & 70th Street, City.

Dear, Mr. Frick; Saturday evening last I received from Duveen Brothers an acrimonious, abusive and threatening letter in consequence of the opinion I gave you, at your request last June, on "The Houdon bust of Mlle La Clairon. In a postscript they say they have sent you a copy of this letter. If you have read this letter will you be good enough to tell me what is your opinion of it and the charge of my "malicious desire to asperse" the bust and "desire and intention to willfully injure our property and ourselves". As I did not know that the busy came from Duveen Brothers until your letter of July 1st acknowledging my opinion and asking if you might send my letter or a copy of it to Mr. joseph Duveen, my information that you had the bust having come alone from the Art News that stated it had come to you from Mr. Edward Brandus of Gimpel & Wildenstein, how could and to injure their property and themselves. ? my opinion have been the result of a 'malicious desire to asperse it" You can see from this how baseless in their charge in addition to which I do not know the Duveen Brothers, have never come in contact with them and only one have been in their establishment which was to see the portrait show a few years ago. I did not acknowledge their letter of July 10th because its to was very disagreeable and I did not consider it contained anything needing acknowledgment, and I sent Mr. Vitry a copy of my opinion because they said they had sent him a photograph of the bust and I considered it due to myself as well as to N. Vitry, with whom I had considerable correspondence regarding Houdon, that he should know from me what I had written. You will recall you wrote me "Of course he (Joseph Duveen) will be very much disappointed and not agree with you" and the present letter in the result. I am, Dear Mr. Frick, Faithfully Charles Henry Hart ????? Script????