Description:

Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria
Vienna, Austria-Hungary, October 28, 1888
Crown Prince Rudolf ALS Planning Bear Hunt 1 Month Before Meeting Future Mistress & Murder-Suicide Victim
ALS

A 2pp autograph letter in German signed by Crown Prince Rudolf (1858-1889), heir-apparent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as "Rudolf" on the second page bottom. October 28, 1888. Vienna, Austro-Hungary. On laid watermarked bifold paper. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds, with scattered minor breaks along these folds. Isolated ink ghost impressions and a small closed tear affecting the blank third page. The outer leaf is also blank. Else near fine. 4.875" x 7.875."

The letter has not been fully translated, but relates to a bear-hunting expedition proposed by the Crown Prince ["Bären zu jagen."] In a note probably addressed to a local groundskeeper or hunting master, Rudolf inquires about the local weather conditions, as well as whether any bears have been spotted in the area. The Crown Prince plans to arrive with a small party in about two weeks, on November 15th. Rudolf's quarry was almost certainly the indigenous Austrian brown bear; the animal nearly went extinct in the 19th C. because of over-hunting and other environmental factors.

Crown Prince Rudolf loved hunting. He hunted a variety of species in different locations, including as far afield as Egypt and Palestine. Rudolf had been trained since childhood to view hunting as a character-building, masculinizing sport that, in terms of attaining heroism, was just one tier below soldiering on the battlefield. Rudolf had a collection of hunting guns and a great number of hunting dogs - by some accounts as many as 100. Rudolf purchased a personal hunting lodge at Mayerling, about 15 miles southwest of Vienna, in 1886.

The Crown Prince's bear-hunting trip was planned for November 1888. That very same month, the Crown Prince began an intensely passionate affair with Baroness Marie von Vetsera, a 17-year-old Austrian noblewoman. Rather shockingly, Marie agreed to enter into a murder-suicide pact just a few months after meeting Rudolf. The Crown Prince shot Marie and then himself at Mayerling on January 30, 1889, almost three months to the day after writing this hunting letter.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 4.875" x 7.875"
  • Medium: ALS

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