A warm autograph letter written by the celebrated Italian statesman shortly before leaving the Presidency of the Chamber of Deputies, presenting the recipient with an English edition of his wartime speeches.

Bibliographic Details

Author: Vittorio Emanuele Orlando (1860–1952).
Title: Autograph Letter Signed ("V. E. Orlando").
Date: 18 June [1920].
Place: Rome, Italy.
Recipient: Addressed simply to "Eccellenza".
Format: Two manuscript pages on a bifolium with printed letterhead, "Camera dei Deputati – Il Presidente", watermark of the Chamber of Deputies. In Italian.
Size: 8vo - approximately 21 × 13.5 cm.

Condition

Very Good. Signature underscored (later) in blue crayon. Light natural age-toning throughout with the original mailing folds. A couple of small closed nicks to the edges and fold lines. The manuscript remains dark, attractive and completely legible, with Orlando's bold signature exceptionally well preserved.

Description

An attractive autograph letter by Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, one of the most important figures in modern Italian political history. Serving as Prime Minister during the final phase of the First World War, Orlando became internationally known as one of the "Big Four" statesmen at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, where he represented Italy in negotiations that reshaped post-war Europe.

Written on official headed paper of the President of the Chamber of Deputies, the letter dates from Orlando's brief tenure as Speaker of the Italian Parliament, an office he held from December 1919 until June 1920. The manuscript date of 18 June, together with the official stationery, places the letter almost certainly on 18 June 1920, just days before the end of his presidency.

Rather than being a routine acknowledgement, the letter is notably warm in tone. Orlando thanks the recipient for their "most kind letter", expresses the hope that nothing will prevent them from visiting the Chamber of Deputies on its opening day, and looks forward to the opportunity of meeting them personally. As a mark of friendship and esteem, he encloses an English-language copy of one of his publications concerning his wartime speeches, thereby linking the correspondence directly with the statesman whose leadership guided Italy through the closing stages of the Great War.

Letters written during Orlando's presidency of the Chamber are considerably less frequently encountered than his prime ministerial correspondence. Combined with the official parliamentary stationery, watermark and strong signature, this is an appealing historical document connecting one of Italy's foremost twentieth-century political figures with the immediate aftermath of the First World War.

Notes

A fine signed letter from one of the principal architects of post-war Europe, written on official parliamentary stationery during the closing days of his presidency of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. An excellent historical and autograph piece.