SAND George (1804-1876). L.A.S. "George Sand", Nohant 15 May 1873, to Jules SIMON (then Minister of Public Instruction); 3 pages in-8 in her own handwriting. In favor of her friend Louis-Eugène Lambert, the painter of cats. "Here is soon the moment to distribute the decorations to the exhibiting painters of this year. I beg you to reward Eugène Lambert, whose two families of cats, are real wonders. You will have seen and judged them. The grace and the spirit of these compositions will have attracted and amused your eyes, and then you will have recognized that it is beautiful and good painting, exquisite and learned drawing. Eugène Lambert is one of the well-gifted children that I had the good fortune to bring up by guessing their vocation. He is a worthy and noble spirit, a good family man at this time. I am so sure to call upon your benevolence on a being who deserves it and whose nomination will be acclaimed by the whole painting jury [...] As for me, I did not ask you anything. I did not want to create an embarrassment for you, and you have understood, I hope, the confidence and devotion of my silence in the theatrical affair that concerns me [the banning of his play Mademoiselle La Quintinie]. But for Lambert, it is quite different. It is an opportunity to do justice without anything being contested or blamed"... Correspondence, t. XXIII, n° 16655.