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M. KNOEDLER & CO., SUCCESSORS TO GOUPIL & CO., 355 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK. CABLE ADDRESSES. KNOEDLER _ NEW YORK. KNOEDLER _ PARIS. PARIS OFFICE, 2 RUE GLÜCK.

Dec. 16th 1896

Dear Mr. Frick, I am in receipt of your favor of the 15th inst. I regret that you did not have time to drop in on Monday as I always like to see you if only for a few moments.

What you say concerning terms of the Chartran portrait of President Elect McKinley to be painted without charge for the Carnegie Art Gallery are perfectly correct - the only thing I see that could be added is that I understood Chartran to say that besides exhibiting the picture here in our Gallery and probably at the Paris Salon of 1897 is that he would like to have a reproduction made of it in photogravure or some other process but should you object I know he will abide by whatever you say - in fact he wanted me to thank you most heartily for your kind interest in the matter and authorized me to say that you had "carte blanche." He has been speaking to me about this portrait since last summer. He says that he will make a great success of it and that the exhibiting of it will do him an immense amount of good and more than compensate him for the time spent on doing it. The whole thing would be perfect if the sittings could be had soon by the end of the year if possible as the best time for Chartran to have his exhibition would be about the 10th of January. If necessary and if I can spare the time I would like to accompany Chartran to Canton where I suppose the portrait would have to be painted. [end page 1 of 2]