Hotel Continental
5 Rue Gastignione
Paris.

July 22 1921.

My dear Herr von Erdberg,

Thank you for your kind letter explaining about the portrait.
After receiving it and likewise a letter from Professor Lepsius which
arrived in the same mail, I went to the gallery where I had seen the
picture to be stored to examine it again. I was assured that indeed
as Professor Lepsius pointed out, the head was an excellent likeness
and that although I should have preferred that the portrait should
have shown me in the costume I customarily wear, nevertheless there
was certainly a certain effect derived from the new costuming. Of
course anyhow I am fortunate to have so distinguished a painting and
accept it with gratitude. I have given the portrait to my wife, but
she is now with me in Paris, but she will return to New York in
the autumn and will hang the portrait in her drawing room in accord-
ence with Professor Lepsius's suggestions in regard to lighting and
back-ground. I am writing Professor Lepsius to-day enclosing a draft
for the money owing him for the frame and the other disbursements he
made in my behalf.

I am arranging to leave Paris the end of this month, that is
this Friday or Saturday. The first of October I go to Vienna to meet
friends and I expect to spend the autumn there. In behalf of the Dign
I desire to get in touch with certain Austrian and German writers to
persuade them to keep in touch with us and on occasion to let us
have their work. This leaves me the months of August and September
free. I am anxious to employ them in refreshing my scant knowledge
of the German language so that I may be able to go about more easily
with Germans in Vienna. I also hope to pass some time in Munich and
Berlin looking up different people in these cities and interesting

2.

4

them in our Journal. In these cities also I should not feel able to put
the best foot forward without first having got up my German. Therefore I
shall not seek to meet any German writers before the latter part of Septem-
ber, just before I go to Vienna.

Quite apart from these practical aims, I desire, as you may
well understand, to see once again Mrs von Erdberg and yourself. But I do
not know whether you are now in Berlin or in Oberbayern. I therefore send
this letter in duplicate to both places. If you are in Berlin I can come
to have the pleasure of again seeing your family.

I realize that I am very late in writing to you, but until
last night for different reasons I was not sure I should be free for the
months of August and September. I want to know if you will give me the
very great pleasure and inestimable advantage of passing the months of
August and September with you somewhere in the country where we can talk
German, read Goethe, and breathe fresh air. I should, of course, want to
pay not only for our expenses, but also $300 a month as previously for
your instruction in German. The dollar-mark exchange shifts so rapidly
hither and thither that I leave to you to figure out what this comes to
at present in marks.

I find myself rather used up after a hard year of journal
management, not only on the literary but also on the financial end of the
Dial. I am therefore anxious, if it should be possible, to spend these two
months by the sea. Could we not go to some resort on the shores of the
North Sea? I know we should not find there the charm of the Tyrol, but I
am sure we would find in the sea air and sea baths compensation. If, how-
ever, you should be unwilling to go there and should be able and willing

to go with me to the Tyrol or to Oberbayern or to any other appropriate
place in Germany in Austria or in G審ео-Slovakia, I should for the pleasure
of your company give up the North Sea.

But I know you have your work in Berlin and I presume that
you would have small reason to leave it. But perhaps for the benefit of
your health you might arrange for this vacation? If, however, you cannot
get away for so long, but would be free and willing to join me for a part
of this time, could you let me know when and where?

If you find it absolutely impossible to pass even the month
of August with me (in case you cannot stay the two months) do you perhaps
know of some gentleman whom you cared to recommend as tutor and companion
for these months? You know me and how difficult a person to live with I
am. Of course I remember Herr Keller (I am not sure I spell his name
correctly) and am sure he would be a possibility. But perhaps he is no
longer available and perhaps you know someone better.

If you are now in Oberbayern and should be able to join
me at the North Sea, I suppose Berlin would be a good place for us to meet,
for both of us would be passing through there. But if you are now in
Oberbayern and find you would be able to be with me in the Tyrol, I suppose
we should appoint some other meeting place. Perhaps I should mention I
am not feeling very strenuous and would not care to take a walking trip.
There must be lots of places where one may pass an agreeable two months.
Let us avoid Americans, let us not return to Gunten'.

Of course I am not able to make any plans or get railroad
accommodations into Germany until I hear from you. May I be so bold as to
ask you to be so kind as to wire me on the receipt of this letter your
answer. Of course if your answer should be too complicated for a wire,
you could follow the bare indications which the wire gave with a letter.
The letter should reach me just in time before I leave Paris. Paris is

4.

now extremely hot and disagreeable which is one reason I am so used up.

I shall be happy to get away to some more salubrious climate.

My wife will not be going with me into Germany as her sister
is about to join her at some French sea-side resort.

Please make my compliments to Mrs. von Erdberg.

PURITY BOND

Wien, L.
Habsburgergasse 2

Wien, den 14. Oktober 1921.

Herrn Dr. Robert von Erdberg,

Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Kunst und
Volksbildung unter den Linden,

Berlin 27.

Lieber Dr. von Erdberg!

Danke bestens für Ihre Adresse von Herrn, die ich lei-
der nicht in Betracht ziehen konnie, da ich Ihnen nichts wich-
tiges mitzuteilen hatte.

Ich habe Ihren Brief vom 28. v.M. erhalten und das neue
Stickwort bemerkt. Ich hatte eine Rechnung von der Disconto-Ges-
sellschaft bekommen und in ihrem Brief haben sie das neue Stick-
wort verlangt. So habe ich die Rechnung der Bank bezahlt und ihnen
das neue Stickwort mätgeteilt. Das heiset "Murillo". Es war sehr
freundlich von Ihnen für mich das ganze Geschäft zu erledigen.
Herr Höffert ist nicht nur wieder bei der Bank gewesen und hat
mir auch einen Brief darüber geschriften. Dieser Brief war sehr
lang und innlich schwer zu verstehen. Nicht nur in deutsch, son-
dern imjenen Sinne. Er wollte alles wieder verländern und mir
das Bild gleich in Berlin verkaufen. Dann hatte ich die ganze
Mühe gehebt, das Bild zu verzichtern a.s.w. Ich habe diesen Brief
meinen Freund, den Rechtsanwalt gezeigt und er war auch meiner
Meinung, dass ich nicht Herrn Höfferts Angreifankommen kann. Ich

habe den Entschluss Herrn Höffert mitgeteilt, aber noch keine
Antwort von ihm bekommen. Aproppo Herrn Höffert könnte ich vie-
leicht hier erwähnen, dass ich,

*das hoffe, dass ich,*

sowie den Herrn Höffert einen Beführungsbrieg gegeben hatte, habe ich erfahren, dass man ihn nicht seit 10 Jahren gesehen hatte.

Ich versuchte noch die andere Zeichnung von Picasso
bei Herrn Flechtheim zu kaufen, aber Herr Flechtheim will jetzt
einen bedeutend höheren Preis als früher haben, auch wenn man den
neuen Tiefstand der Mark in Betracht nimmt, dass wir noch nicht
einig geworden sind. Ich erwartete jetzt einen Brief von ihm und wen
ich seinen Entschluss bekonne, dann werde ich Ihnen denselben so-
fort mitteilen. Bis dahin waren ziemlich bontenozwarten
und dann erst die Bilder von ihm kommen zu lassen bis Sie missen
wieviele Bilder ich überhaupt gekauft habe bei ihm. In diesem
Briefe werde ich Ihnen auch die Preise aller Bilder mitteilen, so
wie auch die Preise der Bilder von Cassirer und von sehr anstän-
gigem Herrn Schmidt. Es würde natürlich leichter für Sie sein,
alle Bilder zur selben Zeit zu versichern.

Gleich nach meinem Ankommen in Wien habe ich Ihren
Einführungsbrieg an Herrn Prof. Behmann übergeben. Seine Frau
Gemahlin war auch zu House und es hat mich sehr gefreut beide ken-
nen zu lernen. Herr Prof. Hartmann war sehr liebenswürdig und hat
mir Karten an Herrn Dr. Schnitzler und an einem anderen Professor
gegeben. Der Professor, dessen Namen ich in diesen Momente ver-
gessen habe, kehr erst in nächsten Monate nach Wien zurück, aber
Professor habe ich schon aufgesehen. Er hatte gar kein Gold vom
Ueberseer der zwei Erzählungen die wir im Dial nachdrucken ha-
ten lassen bekommen. Doch war er sehr freundlich und hat mir

und hat mir eines seiner Bücher gegeben und wird mich einladen,
seine gesammelten Werke mir ihm durchzusehen, wenn sie im näch-
sten Monate aus Deutschland ankommen werden und dann kann er mir
raten, welche ich am besten lesen sollte. Um etwas mehr für die
Dail auszuwählen. Unser Freund des literatur Historikers des
neunsehnten Jahrhunderts würde vielleicht Interesse darinn nehmen.
zu erfahren, dass Herr Dr. Schnitzler stark germanisch aussieht.
" Nicht alles was planzt ist Gold ".

Ich habe auch den Brief an Präsident Heinisch hin-
gebrecht, aber von seinem Sekretär habe ich erfahren, dass ich
such eine Karte vom Americanischen Commissionär dazu brauchte.
So habe ich den amerikanischen Commissionär aufgesucht und er
hat meinesnegen mit Herrn Präsident Heinisch gesprochen. Der
Präsident gab mir Verbrechung zu der ich ging. Er war sehr
zu vorkommend und hat mit der größten Achtung von Ihrer Arbeit
in Berlin gesprochen. Er wird mir Briefe an andere Österreichi-
esche Schriftsteller geben. Hauptsächlich an den Dichter des Thea-
terstückes " Heimat und Glaube ". Das wird etwas
für mich sein !

Vieleicht sollte ich erwähnen von Ihnen und Herrn Hof-
fert in Postüberwachungsstelle in Berlin geöffnet werden. Wissen
Sie warum ?

6 Nummern des Neuen Mercurium sind angekommen, aber noch
nicht die Nummer für Oktober. Die Kiste mit den Büchern aus Ber-
lin ist noch nicht angekommen. Heben wir nicht bestimmt, dass die
Kiste gleich nach meiner Abfahrt, hierher zu mir ins Hotel Bri-
stol geschickt werden sollte? Was glauben Sie was wir tun sollen?

PRESERVATION PHOTOCOPY: ORIGINAL MATERIAL RESTRICTED

50

I. Habsburger Casse 2.

VIENNA.

October 22nd 1921.

Dr. Robert von Erdberg.

Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Kunst und
Volksbildung.
Unter den Linden 4.

BURLIN.

Dear Dr. von Erdberg,

Pardon the. English but I have an English stenographer and today find myself short of time. Also now that I know from your last letter that your wife will be with you until the 19th November I feel that it should not be too great a tragedy for you to receive a letter in English.

First let me mention that I wrote you in English just
after arriving in Vienna and that I trust you received that
letter as well as my letter written in German.

Also let me mention here that in my last letter I
said I had not received the October number of the "Neue Merkur"
I should also have mentioned that I have not yet received the
September number. This seems strange as the previous six num-
bers came two weeks ago and as the September number if not the
October must surely long before this have been issued.

You misunderstood one of my German sentences. I said
that Dr. Schnitzler had asked me to go and look over with him
a set of his works as soon as it arrived from Berlin. I knew

-2-

I had not myself bought a set of his works and referred to a set which is being sent by Dr. Schnitzler's publishers to Dr. Schnitzler. This is I believe a new edition and should I find it acceptable I may order a duplicate for myself.

The Great Magician retains my confidence and recites by heart the poem from "Wilhelm Meister" about dragon broods and water falls and marble halls and "Nach Italien lass uns zieh'n"

Your friend Flechtheim and I having found it impossible to agree in the realm of marks tried dollars. By telegram Mr. Flechtheim refused my offer of 120 dollars which was approximately what I had paid for the other two Picasso drawings and said that his "ausserst" was 140 dollars. I held my peace and three days later received a telegram accepting my offer of 120 dollars. I have today written him to send the things to you after first communicating with you at the Ministry as to how, when and where they should be delivered. In case you have not yet heard from him when you receive this letter I suggest that you call him on the telephone. It is possible that when you receive this letter he may not yet have received the 120 dollars which however I sent him two days ago. For that reason he may desire to hold the pictures a day or two longer. But I trust this will not be the case. I have Mr. Flechtheim to send you together with the pictures a bill made out to me for them giving each item in marks not in dollars.

-3-

I shall ask you to retain this bill for me to facilitate the intro-
duction of the pictures through the American Customs. I do not
yet know whether it will be advisable for you to send me the bill
before I go to America or to send me the bill in America or to
send the bill with the pictures. The pictures bought from Mr.
Flechtheim include the following. If I have forgotten any please
let me know by telegram as I have sent this same list to Mr.
Flechtheim and am not sure that he would remind me of an omission.
Three Picasso drawings, one Lehmbruck drawing, one Lehmbruck
etching, one Toulouse-Lautrec poster.

I enclose the itemised bill from Cassirer for the Lehm-
bruck drawing bought from him which you already have. Of course
all these bills will be necessary to me in getting the pictures
through the American Customs. You can form no idea of how much
difficulty there will anyhow be for me upon that fateful day when
the pictures arrive in New York.

I believe I gave you in Berlin the bill from Herr
Schmidt's firm.

Please insure each one of these pictures for double the
price paid by me as I consider the amount of time and expense I
have been at in purchasing the pictures equal to the price paid
by me in cash to the seller. Indeed in the case of the Beardsley
drawing unless you feel because of the low price paid by me for
this drawing there might be difficulty in collecting a much
larger sum from the insurance company in case the picture should

53

-4-

be injured I should like to have you insure it for one thousand
dollars or rather for the equivalent of one thousand dollars in
marks at the present rate of exchange. This is the price the
picture would cost in New York. Speaking of this matter I might
here mention that I am offered Beardsleys in Vienna for double
the New York price, that is to say for two thousand dollars a
piece. This should indicate to you and also to the insurance
company that the picture really is much more valuable than the
price I paid for it would imply.

In the previous paragraph I mentioned insuring in marks
merely because I suggest it would not be practical to insure in
dollars. If it is practical to insure in dollars I prefer to do
that and thus myself to run no risk of not collecting the full
value of the pictures in case the mark should further fall between
now and the time I should have to collect my money from the
insurance company. The dollar remains "Ein fester Burg".

It is soon as you have insured these pictures please send me
by registered mail the bill from the Schmidt firm. After a few
days I shall return the bill to you by registered mail to keep
with the other bills. I want it here for a couple of days merely
to show it to the man who is trying to sell me these Beardsleys
at this absurdly high price in order to bring him down with a
thump to Schmidt's price. He pretend that he knows that Beards-
leys always bring 2000 dollars a piece in Berlin.

Thank you very much for asking the book dealer to send

-5-

me the box of books to my apartment here. It was stupid of me to have forgotten whether or not the books were to have been sent directly upon my departure from Berlin.

You mention that it interests you to know that I am staying in Vienna the whole winter. I did not mean to state that anything was definite. I merely feel that I may stay here through the winter and am anyhow likely to be here for another month or two. Some things lie upon the knees of the gods.

I trust you received the Zweig book which I sent you immediately after my arrival in Vienna?

I have received a card from Walden saying that he has at last received the three thousand marks which appear to have been help up by the Bank here waiting for the mark to fall in value so that the Bank might gain at the expense of Walden and myself. But I think it would be best not to mention to Walden that the marks upon their arrival at Berlin were of less value than when he requested them from me. I am afraid he might be encouraged to ask for more from me.

Many developments each most slight in itself, but together achieving accumulative force have made me very nervous about the Murillo I am buying in Berlin. I shall not take your time by going into all the details which in the last few days have come up. I shall merely mention that I am now in touch with the director of one of the museums here, Dr. Eigenberger (at the 'kademie der bildenden Künste') and that several other people who

-6-

think they know about such matters and that all sorts of investi-
gations are secretly under way. I have not yet given Hoeffert the
address in America to which the picture is to be sent so that it
is presumably still possible for me under some pretext to have the
picture seen by some expert in Berlin. Such a Berlin expert is
now in Vienna and returns to Berlin next week. I am meeting him
tomorrow and have already written Hoeffert a note preparing him
for this new development. To Hoeffert I represent this expert as
acting in behalf of an American museum which may buy the picture
immediately in Berlin before he sends it away and which would thus
save him the cost of the transportation to America and me the cost
of paying the American duties. A museum introduces a picture to
America pays no duty. I regret this deception but am forced to
it by developments which as I say I shall not go into here. In
a recent letter from Herr Hoeffert I learnt that he has begun up
his bad scheme of trying to smuggle the picture out of Germany and
that he has already obtained permission from the German Government
to take the picture from Germany. Also that this picture will be
taken personally to America by someone connected with the German
Government. I therefore no longer see any reason why it is not
feasible to speak with Bode about the picture and about his letter.
Nevertheless I prefer if possible that Hoeffert should not know
that I am consulting Bode. It is indeed to doubt his, Hoeffert's,
word. Now that you see that everything is honourable and above
board as regards the German Government, would you feel able to see

-7-

Bode and to ask him about this picture telling him that a friend of yours is contemplating its purchase and has been shown a letter which purports to come from him, said letter asserting that the painting is by Kurillo and indeed pointed in his earlier and best period? As Hoeffert is most insistent upon dispatching the picture at once we have not a day to lose. In case the picture is false my only chance of keeping (or rather getting back) my money is to discover before the pictures leaves Berlin that the picture is not a Kurillo. Of course if the picture and the letter are both what they purport to be I do not desire to withdraw from my engagement but rejoine in it.

I might at any rate mention here that doubt has been cast upon the authenticity of the Bode letter it being said that such letters purporting to be from Bode have been forged more than once in recent years. Also I might mention that it is said that Bode has been unperdonably free in giving such letters to people of prominence with whom he wished to remain upon good terms. I do not mean that Bode would consciously write a letter deceiving anyone about a picture. I merely mean that at some times he would give such letters to such people without making as full a study of the picture as people feel he should make before giving such letters.

I also learnt that Bode is not looked upon as an authority in regard to Swedish paintings.

Title of the picture as regards you remember is"Sankta Rose mit dem Kreuz". The picture is about three feet high and one

58

-9-

wanted myself to consult Bode in Berlin. Now there seems to me to
be no impediment to consulting Bode. And also now there seem to be
more reasons for consulting him than before for now, I have learnt
more about Hoeffert and more about Bode than I knew at that time in
Berlin.

I apologise profusely for troubling you and shall understand perfectly if you feel you cannot assume this new burden. I know how busy your days are but in case you cannot see Bode could you not perhaps explain the situation to someone else who could, perhaps to Professor Lepsius or even to Justi? But of course I prefer to keep the matter as quiet as possible and to get at Bode immediately without intervention of others. For you will recall the owner of the picture in question does not like to have everybody in Berlin talking about his sale of the picture. Of course it is possible that he is short of money and that he fears that his creditors will cease to give him credit if they learn he is selling his family heirlooms. So this desire for secrecy upon his part may be wholly legitimate.

My very best compliments to Mrs von Erdberg!

As ever grateful,

I.

I. Habsburger Gasse 2.

I I E N N A .

October 24th 1921.

Dr. Robert von Erdburg.

Unter den Linlen 4.

B E R L I N .

Dear Dr. von Erdburg,

Your letter of the 19th has just arrived. Of course I am sorry not to have been able to get the Goethe manuscript but understand perfectly how it happened. I should have in my letter mentioned that I would telegraph to you whatever sum of money you might find by enquiry might be required to buy the manuscript. But I did not know that the auction was to come so soon and presumed that any way you would write me letting me know about this and that we had plenty of time. It would interest me of course to know how much the manuscript would bring and whether it went to a private individual or to a dealer.

Thank you very much for having looked after the les-
patch of the boxes of books and of the magazines.

Thank you also for speaking with the Sturm people.
The price of 4500 marks for the 20,000 copies of the coloured
reproduction does not seem to me too excessive although I need
somewhat more than I had hoped. I note that the photographs
and the reductions will be sent directly to New York. But I
do require a list of these photographs with Contributors' Notes

lb

-2-

upon the artists, etc here immediately from Walden. I asked Walden for this list in Berlin and he still he would send it immediately. I then again wrote and asked him for this list two weeks ago. He has not either sent me the list or written me in regard to it. I being the only member of the Dial staff who knows anything about contemporary German art must be the one to judge what shall and what shall not go into these Contributors' Notes and what shall be the order of these reproductions.

I am still waiting for my apartment to be ready for me but have notified the concierge about boxes of books and he will be on the lookout for them.

Ever gratefully yours,

I. Habsburger Gasse 2.

IEN.

October 31st 1921.

Dr. Robert von Erdberg.

Ministerium für iessenschaft, Kunst und Volksbildung.

BERLIN.

Unter den Linden 4.

Dear Dr.v.Erdberg,

Thank you very much indeed for your reassuring tele-
gram. I have written Mr. Hoeffert to dispatch the picture at
once to America. I only hope that Mr. Hoeffert will not learn
that we investigated this matter and that if he does learn any-
thing he will anyhow not refuse to send off the picture. This
must have been the cause of a great deal of bother to you and I
decorate very much your generosity in giving the time.

Thanks also for keeping an eye on the Stefan George.

You will be interested to hear that I this afternoon
bought a small Rubens for the same price that I paid for the
Murillo. The quality and authenticity of this painting is at-
tested by a letter from Dr. Glück. Here also there are infinite
circumlocutions and tremendous secrets, so I must ask you to
mention the buying of this picture to no one else than perhaps
Mrs.v.Erdberg. This picture too I bought with the intention of
selling in America and it is therefore of the utmost importance

-2-

that no one in America should ever learn how cheaply I bought
the picture. My American price for the Murillo and for the
Rubens is 20,000 dollars a piece. This Rubens is the small
sketch done wholly by his own hand for the large tiresome pic-
ture carried out by his school entitled "Die Krönung der Maria"
in your Kaiser Friedrich museum.

Ever most grateful to you,

63

Murillo, St. Rosa

v. Erdberg to Thayer 9 November 21:

Ich sagte Bode, ein Freund von mir habe ein Bild gekauft, dessen Echtheit ihm durch einen Brief von ihm (Bode) nachgewiesen sei. Nun haette er aber gehoert, dass derartige Briefe unter Umstaenden gefaelscht sein koennten; das habe ihn beunruhigt. Bode lachte laut auf: "Ja, das kommt off vor. Die meisten meiner Briefe sind gefaelscht". Ich wurde etwas besorgt und sagte: "Es handelt sich um einen Murillo unter dem Titel: St. Rosa mit dem Kreuz. Bode fiel mir, ohne sich eine Sekunde zu besinnen, ins Wort: "Ach, das Bild kenne ich, das ist ein gutes Bild. Wir haben es ja waehrend des Krieges hier gehabt. Es gehoerte dem Fuersten oder Prinzen Salm. "Er schien sich allerdings des Namens nicht mehr ganz genau zu erinnern. Jedenfalls besteht gar kein Zweifel, dass es sich um dasselbe Bild handelt. Bode gab mir auch die Groesserrichtig an. Das Bild sei sehr gut restauriert. Der gezahlte Preis schien ihm nicht hoch. Es ist Ihnen vielleicht bekannt, dass Bode zwar ein faszinierender Mensch ist, dass er aber im persoenlichen Verkehr auch sehr unangenehm werden kann. So konnte ich ihn nicht direkt fragen, worauf sein Urteil ueber die Echtheit des Bildes sich stuetze; er haette des leicht als Misstrauen auffassen koennen. Wir haben aber noch eine Weile gesprochen und ich habe gemerkt, dass sein Urteil sich weniger auf dokumentarisch belegte Tatsachen stuetzt als vielmehr auf seine Kenntnis der Art Murillos. Dass Bode nicht unfehlbar ist, wissen Sie; immerhin scheint mir die grosse Sicherheit, mit der er sprach, Ihnen jede Garantie zu geben, die Sie beanspruchen.

67

I. Habsburger Gasse 2.

WIEN.

November 20th 1921.

Dr. Robert von Erdberg.

BERLIN.

Unter den Linden 4.

Dear Dr. von Erdberg,

Thank you for your long and interesting letter of
November the 9th and for the enclosed receipted bill from
Amsler & Ruthardt. Perhaps I might mention here that I have
not been able to see the Beardsleys in question but that I
am still hoping to obtain either them or another Beardsley
which indeed is to be shown me next week and that I am sure
this bill from Amsler & Ruthardt will help to buy what I do
buy at a reasonable price.

It was very good of you indeed to talk with Pro-
fessor Bode and I am very glad to have the detailed informa-
tion which your letter gives me. I have just received a
letter from Mr. Hoeffert saying that the picture is now on
its way America and that Mr. Seldes, my representative,
is to cable me when he has seen the picture and that I am
then to telegraph Berlin to make the payment. I have just
written Mr. Hoeffert that Mr. Seldes can cable me to make
the payment only when Mr. Seldes has taken possession of the
picture. Mr. Hoeffert's present plan is that the picture

-2-

shall be given to Mr. Seldes only after his representative
in New York has received from him a cable saying that the pay-
ment in Berlin has already been made. If you have time to
drop me a line as soon as you receive this letter (otherwise
I fear it will be too late) you might tell me whether you do
not remember as I do that the agreement way that the payment
of the money should be made from the Bank in Berlin only when
the picture was really received by Mr. Seldes. I find that
the seller is sufficiently insured by the presence of the money
in the Diskonto Gesellschaft and feel that I myself should be
insured by the presence of the picture together with the
necessary papers in the hands of my representative in New York,
otherwise in case Mr. Hoeffert were not honest the picture
might be shown to Mr. Seldes, the payment of my money might
be made in Berlin and when Mr. Seldes called for the picture
he might learn that the picture had already been delivered to
some representative of Mr. Hoeffert who had already left with
the picture for parts unknown. Or do you think that I am too
insistent and too suspicious in this matter and that I should
allow the money to be paid as soon as Mr. Seldes has seen the
picture in New York?

I have received all copies to date of the "Neue
Merkur" and of the "Neue Rundschau" and the recent numbers of
"Kunst und Künstler", "Kunst und Dekoration" however has not
come. I am particularly anxious to obtain that number which

contains the article upon Rönnebeck as I have to read it before
arranging for the publication in The Dial of the photographs
which the sculptor gave me.

I am sorry that Mr. Flechtheim should have proved so
difficult. I trust the other Picasso drawing has now arrived
and that you are therefore able to have all the things insured
at once. Of course you must not bother about the insurance
until you have all the things there together and can thus attend
easiest
to it in the ~~exact same manner~~ possible. I am sure there will be
trouble enough anyhow. I also trust that the account from Mr.
Flechtheim has at last been received. I am sorry that you find
it not possible to insure the pictures in dollars as with the
falling mark I should think dollars would be the natural method
of insurance. I have talked with an insurance company here
in regard to insuring the Rubens which I have just bought and
they themselves suggested that the insurance should be in dollars.
and not in Austrian Kronen. But of course I do not insist and
am quite satisfied with an insurance in marks if that is easier
for you. But if you do insure the pictures for marks be sure
to insure each picture in the following way. Reckon from the
price in marks paid by me for the picture in September when the
mark was worth one cent or 1/100th of a dollar into dollars,
thus obtaining the cost of the picture to me. Then reckoning
from the present value of the mark in relation to the dollar
find out how many marks each picture is now worth. Then insure

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each picture for double the number of marks the picture is now worth in dollars. If however you have already insured the pictures do not bother to make any change in the method of insurance in case you have not followed the method I here outline. I outline this method merely as one which you should follow in case you have not already insured the pictures. If you have already done so I am wholly satisfied with whatever method you have followed. Do not even bother to let me know the details about it.

Walden sent me biographical notices which I have translated and sent off to The Dial.

I trust Mrs. von Erdburg got off alright and is having an agreeable passage. I am interested of course to hear that Frau Lepsius painted your wife and should I be in Berlin before returning to Paris you must certainly let me see the painting.

Yes, Vienna is beautiful but conditions here are very disheartening and one really does not enjoy as one otherwise might the beauty of the city.

No, I did not meet Hauptmann although I saw him in his box at the opening night of "Und Pippa tanzt" where I was with Dr. Schnitzler's son and again in the Grossen Konzerthaus-saal when he gave readings out of his works where I was with Dr. Auernheimer, the critic. He does look like Goethe but I do not believe Goethe would have been particularly pleased at the resemblance.

I shall order the Gundorf hook here and read it with

I. Habsburger Gasse 2.

WIEN.

December 4th 1921.

Dr. Robert von Erdberg.

Unter den Linden 4.

BERLIN.

Dear Dr. von Erdberg,

I am humiliated you should have had quite so much unnecessary bother about this Murillo and also about the Picasso drawing. I have just received your postcard saying that Flechtheim has at last telephoned you the drawing is in Berlin and that you are to receive it at once. I do hope this means that that particular trouble is closed.

After the receipt of your first letter as indicated I telegraphed you a couple of days ago I had immediately telegraphed Mr. Hoeffert that I was cabling Mr. Seldes to cable me after examining the picture and before he had taken possession of it. I also stated that I would upon the receipt of this satisfactory cable from Mr. Seldes immediately telegraph the Diskonto Gesellschaft to pay the money to Mr. von Studnitz. Had Mr. Hoeffert telegraphed this to his friend Mr. von Studnitz there would have been no need for Mr. von Studnitz to have bothered you. I have today again written Mr. Hoeffert confirming my tele-

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73

gram of a week ago and have written Mr. von Studnitz in answer
to his two letters also confirming my telegram of a week ago to
Mr. Hoeffert and my telegram sent to you Saturday morning.

It was of course very valuable to me to be able to have
your impression of the agreement made between Mr. Hoeffert and my-
self and it was because your impression did not wholly confirm my
own feelings that I agreed to make the payment for the picture
before Mr. Seldes had taken possession of it.

What a great moment it must have been for you when
Rittmeister von Studnitz disclosed the name of his great friend!
Not one of the Kaiser's long some after all!

The day before yesterday I received a letter from the
House of Flechtheim in Berlin that they had just obtained twelve
Beardsley drawings and that they were able to offer me the twelve
drawings for 75,000 Marks. I should not consider this price ex-
horbitant were I sure that the drawings were really first rate
and were in perfect condition. I should also like as much assurance
as possible that the drawings are authentic. As I believe I men-
tioned to you there was a Beardsley exhibition in New York two
years ago much advertised and about the time the exhibition was
closing it was discovered that almost every picture was a forgery.
When people can hold exhibitions in New York of Beardsley drawings
and for so long a time fool the public and the critics who think
they know about these matters, it is quite possible that somebody
might be fooling Mr. Flechtheim so that Mr. Flechtheim might think

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it a good opportunity of fooling me. My natural distrust was heightened by the fact that the gentleman who in Mr. Flechtheim's absence wrote me the letter making me this offer gave me titles of only three drawings. It would seem to me obvious that he should anyhow have given me the complete list of the titles. I could then look up such pictures as are reproduced in the Beardsley volumes which I have and could judge of the quality of these drawings. I gathered from the letter that anyhow some of these drawings are not reproduced in the two volumes and therefore are presumably of inferior quality.

Last night I received a card from Lord Flechtheim himself written as great mean sometimes do with a weak pencil saying that the Berlin house had misinformed me (Mr. Flechtheim writes from Frankfurt) and that there are only ten Beardsley drawings and not twelve. I immediately wondered whether Mr. Flechtheim has chosen the two best for his own private collection and is offering me the leavings.

I immediately telegraphed Berlin after the receipt of the first letter asking for the totles of all the drawings. I trust these titles are now being sent me. I wonder would it be asking too much of you who really do care about Beardsley to call up your old friend Flechtheim on the telephone and to set an hour upon which you could give him the honour of a five minute call when he could show you the ten drawings? If you do feel you could give the time (which I realise in the end would cost a good many five years

75

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than five minutes) could you after seeing the drawings telegraph me here your opinion of them? I suggest (in case you feel you can do this for me) that you telegraph me somewhat in the following fashion: "All perfect" (this would mean that all the drawings are in perfect condition and that your conversation with Mr. Flechtheim allowed you to believe, though of course you could not know, that the pictures were probably authentic; of course you might be able to ask Mr. Flechtheim whether he knew the history of the drawings in question, that is to say, when the pictures came from London to Paris), or "eight perfect two damaged" or "perfect condition authenticity dubious" or "drawings not reproduced in Beardsley volumes inferior" (this would mean that I should ask in reckoning how much I could pay for the pictures realise that these pictures of which I could not look up the reproductions were definitely less good than the pictures reproduced). I fear that none of these pictures will be as distinguished as the one I bought with you from the Mademoiselle de Maupin series but hope that among the ten or twelve there may be two or three that are really good, that is to say, comparable to if not quite as distinguished as the "Lady with the Rose".

It would of course be interesting for me to know how it happened that in case there are only ten drawings twelve drawings were originally offered to me. This does look suspicious.

I am glad to hear that "Kunst und Dekoration" is on the way.

-5-

I found I could not obtain the Gundorf volume in Vienna
and my secretary ordered it for me and it has just come and I look
forward to reading it.

I am really very unhappy that you are not coming to see
me in Vienna. I can only hope that something will turn up which
will bring you soon here.

I trust that Mrs von Erdberg had an easy passage and is
how safe and sound in God's country.

Again many, many thanks!

I. Habsburger Gasse 2.

WIE-N.

December 18th 1921.

Dr. Robert von Erdberg.

Unter den Linden 4.

BERLIN.

Dear Dr. von Erdberg,

A few days ago I received a cable from Mr. Seldes saying that the picture with the Bode letter had arrived in New York in good condition. I immediately telegraphed the Diskonto Gesellschaft to make the payment to Rittmeister von Studnitz and telegraphed Rittmeister von Studnitz to get the money from the Diskonto Gesellschaft. Not having to date received an acknowledgement either from the Diskonto Gesellschaft or from Rittmeister von Studnitz of these telegrams I have today written both the Bank and Rittmeister von Studnitz confirming my telegram and inquiring whether the matter was settled satisfactorily. I have also written Rittmeister von Studnitz asking him to let me know whether or not he has directed his expediteur in New York to deliver the picture to Mr. Seldes and whether or not that delivery has yet been made. The fact that Mr. Seldes has not yet cabled me that delivery has been made implies that it has not been made. I mention these things not desiring to embroil you further in these

-2-

matters but merely so that you may be orientated in case Rittmeister
von Studnitz should again get in touch with you in regard to the
matter.

Thank you very much indeed for your telegram and letters
in regard to the Beardsley drawings. I looked up the drawings
which are reproduced in the Eraly Work and found myself wholly in
agreement with you as to their unimportance. After taking a couple
of days to consider whether or not it was worth while making Mr.
Flechtheim a small offer for these almost worthless drawings or
whether it was better not to bother with the drawings at all and
merely to decline his offer I received a postcard from Mr.
Flechtheim asking for a decision. I immediately telegraphed him
stating that I had decided I could not buy the drawings in question.
I today confirmed this telegram with a letter to Mr. Flechtheim.
The drawings are so very poor indeed that I do not think it worth
while even to offer him the ten or twenty thousand marks for which
I suspect I might get these things. They are certainly not worth
anything like the price he asks for them.

If without the help of Mr. Flechtheim you are able to
let me have the complete name and address of the collector in
Henover whose name you give in your letter (von Gavens) I should
take the liberty of writing him a note stating that I am a Beardsley
collector and that it might be advantageous to him should he ever
care to sell any of his drawings to get in touch with me directly
and to avoid the expensive intervention of art dealers. The fact

-3-

that Flechtheim got these drawings from him would seem to imply that he might be willing to part with other of his drawings if he could get for them better prices than Flechtheim or other Berlin art dealers are willing to pay. I think that Herr Schmidt (der anständige Herr Schmidt) would be able to give you the full name and address, but to go to him for this might be as indiscreet as to go to Flechtheim himself.

I am now more or less settled in my little apartment and have unpacked the box of books from Berlin. Everything seems O.K. with one exception and I have a suspicion that the book dealer had already called this point to our attention when we were there, that is to say of the Geschichte der deutschen Kunst von Georg Dehio I find here only the second volume and the volume containing the Abbildungen for the second volume. Do you recall whether or not I am right in thinking that the book dealer called this fact to our attention and explained that the earlier volume would be sent to me at some later date? Or do I imagine this and has the book dealer forgotten to send the first volume?

You will be glad to hear that Messrs Seldes and Watson wrote me enthusiastically about the pictures that we choose at the Sturm exhibition in Berlin. Cassirer sent such inferior photographs of the things that had to be got through him that we will not be able to use them and I have had the photographs sent back from New York to me here in Vienna. I have written Flechtheim about this matter and he has answered that he will attend to it but has done nothing. It seems a pity that no German artists except those

-4-

patronised by Sturm and by Flechtheim should be representable in
The Dial. If you should be seeing either Lepsius or Justi you
might chat with them about the matter. If Justi for the sake of
German art would care to bother about this matter I could send him
a list of the things I want and perhaps he would care to look after
the matter for me himself. I should then of course be glad to
give credit to the museum and not to Cassirer.

I was fortunately out of the hotel at the time of the
invasion and my room was fortunately too high up to be reached by
the ascending flood.

My real reason for buying the German Gothic figures was
to tempt you to Vienna. I do hope that this bait will eventually
if not immediately bring you here.

Ever most gratefully,

Dr. von Erdberg.

- 2 -

January 16.1923.

I suggest offering for this drawing $100 and authorize you to raise your offer to $200 if you find that the drawing is not to be got for less. But it would be well not to raise your offer above $100 until we definitely find it impossible to obtain this drawing, together with the others at the same price, for the group which is within my reach. But of the other things I can myself form no opinion and await your impressions.

Miss Solomon tells me how kind and courteous you were to her, and as I already have your letter informing me that you have yourself been so good as to have a bottle of rum sent to me here, I await its arrival with Spannung. Thank you very much indeed! I had not wanted to bother you personally with this detail.

I am sorry you should have been harassed by those unmanerly Social Democrats and rejoice that you were, as always, triumphantly in the saddle. But the new madness of the French and the further collapse of the Mark must, I presume, be occasioning you further cares.

I do desire to take advantage of the new jump of the dollar to try once more to obtain from Walden pictures that I looked at when at his place and which he would not sell for the dollars I was willing to pay last Autumn. My point is that now that he can obtain so many times more marks than he could for the dollar at the time I was in Berlin (which you will recall preceded the previous crash of the mark) he might now accept one or more offers. Would you be so good as to offer him personally or through Blümner $50 for the "Delaunay" reproduced as frontispiece to the November "Dial"; $100 for the "Chajall"

Dr. von Erdberg.

- 3 -

January 16.1923.

water-color representing a Barber's Shop with a man in the chair
being shaved; 200 for the "Chajall" black and white of a man
playing the fiddle before some Russian house; 400 for the
Franzmarc water-color of two horses reproduced as frontespiece to
the September "Dial". And would you make these offers without delay
so that he may consider them in relation to present prices, that is to
say, before prices have again jumped, making up the difference between
the value of the dollar to-day and the value of the dollar a week ago
in Germany.

If Simolin has not answered your offer, would you try to
get a reply from him while the dollar is again on a crest and at a
time when he can, for the dollars he would receive for this drawing,
buy more German Real Estate than he could have bought a week ago or
can presumably buy next month. I consider it very important to try
to gain what little advantage we can from this catastrophe. If
Simolin refuses absolutely to sell for the sum I have already named,
please double your offer without further waiting, as I feel that now
is the time to get that drawing which seems to me a much more precious
one than any of the things we had from Hamburg.

I enclose a bill from the Marées-Gesellschaft for the
Brüdel folio which I have received in good condition. Would you
settle this bill for me unless you find that I have already paid for
it, as had been my impression, but as seems not to be implied by the
receipt of this bill.

131

Dr. von Erdberg.

- 4 -

January 16.1923.

Thank you for seeing to the expedition of the Chajall
upon the part of Neumann. The Toulouse-Lautrac folio never reached
Paris.

It is good of you to avoid taking taxis except when necessary.
But you should not be too hard upon yourself.

Yes, the magazines from Osellius seem now to come regularly.

Thank you for the information in re Kaiserling. I have
bought his collected works and do not think much of the introductory
essay, nor of the paper upon which this edition is printed.

I look forward to hearing from you whether you learned of any
other essays of interest upon Kaiserling. I note only one that
appeared in the "Neue Freie Presse" a month ago and a short inadequate
article by Thos. Mann in his volume of essays and reviews at Hie den see
this summer.

Of course, the "Dial" will want to pay Mrs. von Erdberg
whatever she finds it necessary to pay Fischer for his rights in
the Kaiserling. So I await word from you or from her, as to what sum
the "Dial" should send regarding this matter. But, of course, this
sum could not at the outside exceed one cent per word, and I should
hope under present conditions, that your wife will be able to get a
rate for a price in marks which, reckoned into dollars, would be very
much less than one cent per word. What Fischer says about American

Dr. von Erdberg.

- 5 -

January 16.1923.

publishers paying German authors and publishers, despite the fact that there is no legal binding at present, is most inaccurate. Most of the American and English publishers pay, either not at all, or some nominal sum. But that is no reason why I should act in this fashion, and I shall be very glad to have the "Dial" pay whatever Mrs. v. Erdberg finds we should.

I was disappointed in the reproduction of the Great Monkey by Gaul in Kunst and Künstler and I am not enthusiastic about the prospect of having it for the "Dial", and wonder whether there is any other photograph taken from the same other angle which might be aesthetically more effective. Frankly, I did not get this one.

I am glad you are satisfied with the binding for the folio.

I was glad to have your opinion on Pascin in which Mortimer more or less concurs. Nevertheless, I have decided definitely to include that drawing by Pascin or some better one if a better one can be found (do you know of any at present in Berlin)? One reason for doing so is that I desire to have as many non-French artists as possible in the folio, and Pascin is not a Frenchman. Marie Laurent-Vincent is French, but I am able to include her too.

I think you will enjoy seeing Chajall exhibition at Van Dieman which, anyhow, can be so conveniently seen by one who is daily at Unter den Linden 4.

Ever gratefully.

Encl: Bill

141

I Habsburgergasse 2,

W I E N.

January 25th 1923

Herrn Doctor Robert von Erdberg
Unter den Linden 4,
BERLIN.

Dear Dr. von Erdberg,

Thank you for the photographs of the work of the Polish painter which I had received before your letter. I have accordingly chosen four of the photographs, and as my secretary is sending the whole lot back to you, I am marking the chosen four with a cross on the back. Would you then be so good as to send the four completed shiny black photographs directly to the Dial, together with a contributors note and a letter stating that these photographs have been chosen and arranged for by me and that I have asked to have the one Touchzeichnung of a landscape appear by itself and the other three pictures in a group. And that I do not care whether the group or the single Touchzeichnung appears first and that I suggest that only either the group or the single picture be used before my return to America, that is to say, that this artist appear only once until I am back.

If then you will let me have the proper spelling of Simolin's name complete together with this address, etc. my secretary will write him from here making an offer ostensibly for herself thus avoiding possible embarrassment.

- 2 -

The bottle of rum has arrived, but I have not yet had a chance to use it, as I am ill with the influenza. This has prevented me seeing Keier-Graefe, and as he is leaving Vienna Saturday morning we have to arrange our business tomorrow morning, Friday. That will be the first time I leave my apartment. If I survive the morning I intend to go to the Semmering in the evening to pass a few days recuperating. My address there, in case I have to be reached by telegram is :>

Hotel Panhens,

SEMMERING, Oesterreich.

It is very good of you indeed to have sent me these notes about Kaiserling and I am leaving strictest directions with my servant that all mail be very carefully attended to here. So I do not see that there should be danger that these important notes will be lost. I shall then return them to you to return to Fischer. Is there any time limit?

You will then write to the Dial asking the Dial to send a cheque for the sum owing to Fischer giving Fischer's address, etc. unless that is this cheque should be sent to you or to your wife, in which case, of course, you should state to the Dial whether the cheque should be made out to you or to Fischer.

Thank you for your courtesies to Mr. Seldes. I wonder when he is coming to Vienna.